Characteristics of competitive markets The model of competitive markets relies on these three core assumptions: 1. There must be many buyers and sellers—a few players can't dominate the market. 2. Firms must produce an identical product—buyers must regard all sellers' products as equivalent. 3. Firms and resources must be fully mobile, allowing free entry into and exit from the industry.

Arguments made against free trade include all of the following exceptdumping is an unfair trade practice that puts domestic producers of substitute goods at a disadvantage that they should be protected against. national defense considerations justify producing certain goods domestically whether the country has a comparative advantage in their production or not. free trade is inflationary and should be restricted in the domestic interest. if foreign governments subsidize their exports, foreign firms that export are given an unfair advantage that domestic producers should be protected against. infant industries should be protected from free trade so that they may have time to develop and compete on an even basis with older, more established foreign industries.