Oligopoly financial definition of Oligopoly. Oligopoly finance term by the Free Online Dictionary.

Oligopoly

A Market characterized by a small number of producers who often act together to control the supply of a particular good and its market price.

Oligopoly

A situation in which a small number of companies split all or nearly all the market share of a good or service. There are two major models for oligopoly: the Cournot model and the Bertrand model.

In the Cournot model, each company assumes the output of the others, resulting in greater output than in a monopoly but less than in a state of perfect competition. This pushes prices lower but not as low as they would be in perfect competition. In the Bertrand model, the companies compete for the lowest possible price, resulting in perfect competition. Both models are applicable in different situations and times and neither expresses oligopoly perfectly. Less commonly, a third option is possible: if the companies in the oligopoly openly collude with each other, they can form a cartel.

oligopoly

A market in which a limited number of sellers follow the lead of a single major firm. For example, the domestic automobile market was long characterized as an oligopoly, with American Motors, Chrysler, and Ford following the pricing lead of industry giant General Motors. Compare monopoly, oligopsony.

Oligopoly

What Does Oligopoly Mean?

A market condition in which a particular segment of the market is controlled by a small group of firms. An oligopoly is much like a monopoly, in which only one company exerts control over most of a market. In an oligopoly, there are at least two firms controlling the market.

Investopedia explains Oligopoly

The retail gas market is a good example of an oligopoly because a small number of firms control a large majority of the market.

Related Terms:
• Behavioral Finance
• Law of Demand
• Law of Supply
• Market Economy
• Monopoly

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Monopoly Oligopolio Oligopsony	The rating agencies that measure the risk of financial instruments seem to have their own cozy oligopoly and were uniformly ineffective, and maybe even had conflicts and incentives not to point things out. Reputation and the recession by J. Patrick Coolican / Las Vegas Sun Japanese steelmakers have said they were considering asking regulators to probe the deal, saying it would create an oligopoly. Japanese regulators may probe Rio, BHP deal by AFP / AFP European Edition The deal "invites an oligopoly, which would infringe anti-trust laws, so we are considering asking the (Japan) Fair Trade Commission (FTC) for an investigation," said JISF official Yukihiro Murakami. Japan steelmakers seek probe into Rio, BHP deal by AFP / AFP Asian Edition	Official Unrequited Transfers Offlake Offre publique d'achat hostile Offset Offset Loan Offshore Offshore Finance Subsidiary Offshore Financial Center Offshore Fund Offshore Mutual Fund OFHEO Oficial de recinto OHLC Chart OID Oil and Gas Drilling Limited Partnership Oil and Gas Income Limited Partnership oil and gas lease OILSR Oishou Okun's Law Old Economy Old Lady of Threadneedle Street Old Sheqel Old-line factoring Oligopolio Oligopoly Oligopsony OM OM Stockholm AB Omani Rial Omega Omitted Dividend omnibus account Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 Omnibus Proxy OMR On On a Clean Up On Balance On Board On Board Ocean Bill of Lading On Carriage On Jacket On the Close Order On the Money On the Opening Order On the print On the Run On the Sidelines On the Take	Oligopetalous oligophagous oligophagous oligophagy oligophagy oligophosphaturia Oligophrenia Oligophrenics, Special Education of oligophyre oligoplasmia Oligoplites oligopnea oligopnoea oligopolies oligopolies oligopolies oligopolies Oligopolio oligopolist oligopolist oligopolist oligopolist oligopolistic oligopolistic oligopolistic oligopolistic oligopolists oligopolists oligopolists oligopolists Oligopoly Oligopoly, Theory of Oligoporus Oligoporus leucospongia Oligoprocyanidin oligopsonies oligopsonies oligopsonistic oligopsonistic oligopsony oligopsony oligoptyalism Oligopygidae oligoria Oligos Oligos Oligos oligosaccharide oligosaccharide oligosaccharide Oligosaccharides Oligosaccharides Oligosaccharides Oligosaprobe Oligosepalous Oligosiderite oligosite oligospermia oligospermia oligospermia Oligospermous

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Monopoly
Oligopolio
Oligopsony

The rating agencies that measure the risk of financial instruments seem to have their own cozy oligopoly and were uniformly ineffective, and maybe even had conflicts and incentives not to point things out.

Reputation and the recession by J. Patrick Coolican / Las Vegas Sun

Japanese steelmakers have said they were considering asking regulators to probe the deal, saying it would create an oligopoly.

Japanese regulators may probe Rio, BHP deal by AFP / AFP European Edition

The deal "invites an oligopoly, which would infringe anti-trust laws, so we are considering asking the (Japan) Fair Trade Commission (FTC) for an investigation," said JISF official Yukihiro Murakami.

Japan steelmakers seek probe into Rio, BHP deal by AFP / AFP Asian Edition

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Oligopoly