1. To
own a significant enough amount of a
stock to be able to
manipulate its
price. More specifically, an
investor corners a market when he/she
owns so many
shares in a company that he/she can trigger a
sell off if he/she
dumps the stock. For this reason, persons and institutions owning or
buying more than a certain percentage of shares in a company must register with the
SEC and are subject to certain restrictions.
2. To have the greatest
market share in a particular industry without having a
monopoly. Companies that have cornered their markets usually have greater leeway in their decisions; for example, they may charge higher prices for their products without fear of losing too much business. Large companies, such as Wal-Mart or Microsoft, are considered to have cornered their markets. See also:
Gorilla.