A cartel is a group of independent suppliers who band together to control prices and limit competition by restricting trade to their mutual benefit. This cooperation typically aims to maximize collective profits by regulating supply and prices.
A free market is an economic system characterized by minimal or no government intervention, where prices are determined by supply and demand dynamics. It's an environment where transactions between buyers and sellers are governed primarily by mutual consent without external pressures from monopolies, cartels, or collusive oligopolies.
