▁market ▁trade , ▁but ▁root ed ▁in ▁the ▁perman ently ▁une qual ▁position ▁of ▁employ ers ▁and ▁employees ▁in ▁production . ▁Although ▁it ▁appears ▁like ▁trad ing ▁relationships ▁determine ▁the ▁relationships ▁of ▁production , ▁Marx ▁arg ues ▁that ▁in ▁aggregate ▁( in ▁an ▁overall ▁sense ) ▁it ▁is ▁just ▁the ▁other ▁way ▁round : ▁the ▁relationships ▁of ▁the ▁direct ▁production ▁process ▁( the ▁mode ▁of ▁production ) ▁determine ▁the ▁relationships ▁of ▁exchange . ▁This ▁just ifies ▁the ▁initial ▁analysis ▁of ▁production ▁in ▁abstra ction ▁from ▁all ▁kinds ▁of ▁price ▁fl uct u ations . ▁ ▁Econom ic ▁significance ▁of ▁price - value ▁diver gen ces ▁The ▁fact ▁that ▁products ▁can ▁be ▁trad ed ▁above ▁or ▁below ▁their ▁value ▁( and ▁hence ▁that ▁more ▁labour ▁can ▁exchange ▁for ▁less ▁labour ) ▁became ▁a ▁fundamental ▁theoretical ▁problem ▁for ▁classical ▁political ▁economy . ▁That ▁is , ▁the ▁classical ▁political ▁econom ists ▁failed ▁theoret ically ▁to ▁recon cile ▁the ▁law ▁of ▁value ▁with ▁une qual ▁exchange ▁( the ▁exchange ▁of ▁une qual ▁values ). ▁For ▁Marx , ▁the ▁exchange ▁of ▁non - equ ival ents ▁was ▁not ▁an ▁aber r ation ▁in ▁the ▁exchange ▁process ▁at ▁all , ▁but ▁instead ▁the ▁pivot ▁of ▁business ▁competition ▁among ▁produ cers ▁in ▁capital ist ▁society . ▁Price - value ▁differences ▁for ▁labour - products ▁determined ▁how ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁new ▁sur plus ▁value ▁produced ▁by ▁enter pr ises , ▁potentially ▁contained ▁in ▁an ▁output ▁of ▁comm od ities , ▁could ▁be ▁realized ▁as ▁profit ▁by ▁those ▁enter pr ises .