Equilibrium
is a market condition
when the quantity demanded and the quantity supplied are equal. The price no
longer fluctuates at this point. Buyers can purchase their desired quantity
of a good without having to pay at a premium just to get what they require because
its out of stock or there is a shortage in supply. Sellers could sell exactly
what they have in their inventory without having to lower the price to get rid
of one product before it rots.
When buyers can't purchase the quantity they want, there is a shortage because
a supplier's rate of production can't keep up with the volume of demand. On
the graph it is the area below the equilibrium since the quantity demanded is
higher than the quantity supplied. Sellers who couldn't sell everything in their
inventory before the date the products expire is called a surplus. On the graph
it is in the area above the equilibrium where the quantity supplied or inventory
is way too much for the people who demanded the product or individuals who intended
to buy.