The most important aspect of trade is that participants feel confident in the market, its rules, regulations and consistency of application of the rules. Where governments intervene whether via tariffs, taxation, direct intervention (eg ESF) or change of regulation, participants are frustrated and lose confidence in the system. The Shariah rules in this regard are explicit. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

This establishes a basic principle in the field of commerce: that the market, its prices, and sales, should be left free to respond to internal economic forces and natural competition without manipulation.

Anas reported: “Prices soared during the time of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) so they said to him; ‘O Messenger of Allah why don’t you introduce pricing (price controls)?’ He said; “Verily Allah is the Recipient, the Extender of wealth, the Provider, and the Pricer, and I hope that I will meet Allah (swt) without having anyone accusing me of having perpetrated an oppression against him be it in blood or in money.” So the notion of market manipulation or State interference in markets is absolutely prohibited in the Islamic state..

Ahmed and Abu Ubayd reported on authority of Uqbah ibn Amir that the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

said:

Barring the imposition of customs for reciprocity when applied against the Islamic state, it is against the Shariah to apply such taxes which restrict trade. Similar protectionist measures against trading partners as subsidising some industries, tariffs and intellectual property right restrictions all act as barriers to free trade and have no part in Islamic economic life. Use of public money to bail out some business groupings (banks) is also an anathema to fair economic practice and is effectively a new form of tax on the masses who will pay for the bailouts via tax, cut backs in public spending or a decline in the value of their wealth via inflation.