Besides in a free market, they wouldn’t exist :
-The recouping of losses, which is essential for a predatory pricing strategy, may not occur because rival firms could just exit the market when prices are lowered and re-enter when prices are increased.

-Even if rival firms are forced out of the market when prices are increased by the predatory firm, this could induce new competitors into the market.

-The predatory firm must have a supply large enough to meet all demand at the lowered price. If its capacity is not great enough, prices will rise again.

-If the predatory firm were to repeatedly lower prices when rivals re-entered the market, the rival firms could short the dominant firms stock in an attempt to make up for losses resulting from the lower price.

A mostly free one, right?

Ye

Do you support trumps tariffs?

Because that sort of discourages trade

Not really no

Oh

I don’t think tarrifs are good

Oh yeah

But I support him bringing free trade from other countries

I did research on Rockefeller once

as in other countries lowered tarrifs

Standard oil is also a myth

He did all sorts of questionable things to secure his monopoly

That’s a HUGE myth

Yep

The companies also kept on lobbying to keep monopolies legal

He’s get his monopoly to boycott any railroad that served his competitors, since losing his business would destroy the railroad

He’d buy all of the pipeline networks surrounding competitors’ oil refineries so they couldn’t ship in new oil

He’d even buy every single piece of land around a competitor’s refinery so they couldn’t build their own pipelines out

He just had that much money

But he also did plenty of good stuff with the money

Like, his son basically built our town

Refined oil prices fell from over 30 cents per gallon in 1869, to 10 cents in 1874, to 8 cents in 1885, and to 5.9 cents in 1897.

But he acquired it through very questionable means

There’s too many myths surrounding standard oil

That’s due to a huge increase in supply

as a monopoly

He wasn’t exploitative of consumers

Just of his competitors

The companies did questionable things

Natural monopolies , when they exist they’re efficient

You can't deny that

How?

he didn’t want to raise prices due to fears of competitor.

Competition

Monopoly = No competition

When a competitor arises, they can crush them

Because they wouldn’t be able to raise prices as competition would come in, wouldn’t be able to give back quality etc

Yes but they would be efficient

They also have a large money supply