Answer:
monopoly firms will operate at a loss because P < AC
Step-by-step explanation:
A monopoly is when there is only one firm operating in an industry.
A natural monopoly exists either because of high start-up costs or high economies of scale.
A natural monopoly has a decreasing average cost for some output. When the average cost is falling, the marginal cost lies below the average cost. If the government sets price to be equal to marginal cost, which lies below the average cost, the monopoly would incur losses.