BusinessSeptember 1, 2026

cartelisation

kar-tuh-li-ZAY-shun

Definition

The act of companies in a specific industry colluding to fix prices, restrict production, or limit competition, effectively acting as a single monopoly.

Etymology

Derived from the French 'cartel', meaning a written agreement or letter of defiance, which traces back to the Italian 'cartello', a diminutive of 'carta' (paper or leaf). It evolved into a business term describing formal agreements between companies to control a market.

In the news

The article uses this term in the context of global fragrance companies, noting that authorities are investigating whether these firms engaged in price-fixing, and highlighting that past investigations into other companies yielded findings of obstruction rather than actual cartelisation.

What a government audit found in India’s EV subsidy scheme?

Read the full article ↗

The Daily Brief by Zerodha

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