Perfect market definition

What is a Perfect Market?

A perfect market is market that is structured to have no anomalies that would otherwise interfere with the best prices being obtained. Examples of this perfect market structure are as follows:

  • A large number of buyers. Having many buyers increases demand, and so introduces pressure for prices to increase.

  • A large number of sellers. Having many seller increases supply, and so introduces pressure for prices to decline.

  • Products are homogeneous. There are no differentiating features between products that would support price differences between them.

  • Information is freely available to everyone in the market. With access to the same information, everyone is buying and selling based on identical sets of data.

  • There is no collusion between the market participants.

  • Every participant is a price taker, not having the ability to influence market prices.

It is generally not a good idea to be a seller in a perfect market, because prices are driven down so low that it is quite difficult to generate a reasonable profit. Consequently, many sellers seek out less perfect markets, where they can realize higher profit levels.

Examples of Perfect Markets

There are few perfect markets; those selling commodities, such as agricultural products and minerals, represent the closest approximation of a perfect market.

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