Marktbalans

Marktbalans, in economics, describes the condition in which the quantity of a good or service that buyers wish to buy equals the quantity that sellers are willing to offer at a given price. In a competitive market, the interaction of supply and demand determines an equilibrium price and quantity, the market-clearing price. The term also denotes the dynamic process by which prices and quantities adjust to restore balance after a disturbance.

When demand exceeds supply, a shortage appears and prices tend to rise, encouraging more production and reducing consumption. When supply exceeds demand, a surplus arises and prices tend to fall, encouraging less production and more consumption. In equilibrium, the market has no inherent pressure for change, and price acts as a signaling mechanism that coordinates the decisions of buyers and sellers. In the short run, disequilibria can persist, but in the long run, firms can enter or exit, and production capacity can adapt, restoring balance.

Multiple factors shift the supply and demand curves, including income, prices of related goods, tastes and expectations, technology, and input costs. The responsiveness of buyers and sellers to price changes—elasticity—also shapes how quickly market balance is reestablished after a shock.

In specific sectors such as energy, the term is used to describe the ongoing balancing of generation and consumption to maintain grid stability. Balancing markets or balancing processes coordinate adjustments by producers, consumers, and network operators to keep supply and demand aligned in real time.