The free market is an economic system based on supply and demand with little or no government control. It is a summary description of all voluntary exchanges that take place in a given economic environment. Free markets are characterized by a spontaneous and decentralized order of arrangements through which individuals make economic decisions. Based on its political and legal rules, a country’s free market economy may range between very large or entirely black market. The term “free market” is sometimes used as a synonym for laissez-faire capitalism. When most people discuss the “free market,” they mean an economy with unobstructed competition and only private transactions between buyers and sellers. However, a more inclusive definition should include any voluntary economic activity so long as it is not controlled by coercive central authorities. Using this description, laissez-faire capitalism and voluntary socialism are each examples of a free market, even though the latter includes common ownership of the means of production. The critical feature is the absence of coercive impositions or restrictions regarding economic activity. Coercion may take place in a free market if mutually agreed to in a voluntary contract, such as remedies enforced by tort law. No modern country operates with completely uninhibited free markets. That said, the least restrictive markets tend to coincide with countries that value private property, capitalism and individual rights. This makes sense since political systems that shy away from regulations or subsidies for individual behavior necessarily interfere less with voluntary economic transactions. Additionally, free markets are more likely to grow and thrive in a system where property rights are well protected and capitalists have an incentive to pursue profits. In free markets, a financial market develops to facilitate financing needs for those who cannot or do not want to self-finance. For example, some individuals or businesses specialize in acquiring savings by consistently not consuming all of their present wealth. Others specialize in deploying savings in pursuit of entrepreneurial activity, such as starting or expanding a business. These actors can benefit from trading financial securities. For example, savers can purchase bonds and trade their present savings to entrepreneurs for the promise of future savings plus remuneration, or interest.
