When a company exclusively controls the supply or trade of a product or service, it’s called a monopoly, and because monopolies can increase prices without losing market share, the Federal Trade Commission is tasked with preventing them from forming. Although pure monopolies are illegal, there are some near-monopolies that are the result of government policies and consumer behavior. Because near-monopolies have more pricing power than they’d have otherwise, they can be smart investments. Read on to find out if these near-monopolies ought to be in your portfolio.
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