BLACK MARKET: An illegal market in which the price of the goods sold is above a legally set maximum price. A black market invariable results whenever the government imposes a price ceiling on a good. A common example of a price ceiling is rent controls on apartments in many large cities. Although landlords cannot "legally" rent apartments for more than the specified maximum, they often do so "illegally" by charging "finders fees" and "tenant association dues." In so doing, they have entered into the realm of black markets. See also | market | price | government | price ceiling | price floor |
