More importantly, the Kindle and similar devices made by Sony and others represent only one side of the evolving e-reader market.

ECONOMIST: Electronic-book readers

Brokers would also "spoof" the market on behalf of UBS - creating a false illusion that there was more demand on one side of the market than really existed, by advertising bogus requests, in order to influence the interest rates offered by the banks.

BBC: UBS sign

In essence, Groupon is claiming that its massive expenditures on marketing and related customer-acquisition costs are a one-time thing, a side effect of creating an entirely new market.

FORBES: If Groupon Is Right, Hyperlocal Sites Are In Trouble

When people try to shoehorn these issues into the free-market framework, what ends up happening is that one side of these trade-offs gets ignored.

FORBES: "Intervention" Is Inevitable When The Government Has A Monopoly