Corner

For surveying purposes, the designation given to a particular location formed by the intersection of two boundary lines of real property.

The process by which a group of investors or dealers in a particular commodity exploit its market by purchasing it in large quantities and removing it from general sale for a time, thereby dramatically increasing its market price because its limited supply is greatly exceeded by the demand for it. The condition created when a commitment is made to sell at a special time of delivery in the future, a much greater quantity of a commodity than is available in the present market.

This type of commitment is known as a futures contract. Frequently, neither buyer nor seller expects actual delivery of the goods. They are solely speculating on the difference between the contract price and market price on a particular date. The market price is affected by various economic factors. When a corner is created, the demand for the commodity far exceeds its supply, thereby driving up market prices. On the date of delivery, therefore, the market price will exceed the contract price if no additional quantities can be delivered by persons other than the seller who has "cornered" the market. The buyer must then pay the seller, who had a corner on the specified commodity, the amount by which the market price exceeds the contract price. If, however, additional quantities of the commodity are available in the market, the seller incurs financial losses because the market price will be less than the contract price at which the market was "cornered."

The COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION is the federal regulatory agency charged with the administration of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C.A. § 1 et seq.), which is designed to protect all commodity investors from manipulative practices that hinder the free flow of commerce. Anyone who deliberately exploits the commodities market to create a corner may be prosecuted under federal law for commission of a felony, punishable by a fine of not more than $500,000 or imprisonment of not more than five years, or both, plus the costs of prosecution.