In competitive market structures, what happens to economic profits in the long run?

In competitive market structures, economic profits are driven to zero in the long run due to the forces of supply and demand. When firms in a competitive market earn positive economic profits, it signals to other potential entrants that there is an opportunity for profit. As new firms enter the market, the increase in supply causes the market price to decrease. This continues until the price equals the average total cost of production, at which point firms are earning normal profits—just enough to cover their opportunity costs.

At this equilibrium point, no economic profits exist; all firms can expect to cover their costs but not make additional profit beyond this. This dynamic underscores the self-correcting nature of competitive markets. When firms suffer losses, they exit the market, reducing supply and thereby increasing prices until profits recover to zero again. Thus, over time, competitive markets tend to stabilize at a point where economic profits are nonexistent, explaining why the correct answer is that economic profits are driven to zero.