A young couple living in rural west-central Missouri heard about the closing of a local grocery store. Although a small operation, it served a small community that would now have to travel another 20 miles to the nearest grocery store. With help from a local realtor and banker, the couple purchased the store, remodeled it, and reopened it. As new storeowners, they had to carefully watch cash flow. As their customer base began to grow, they began offering hot food, and hired others to help with the operation. The economic benefit created in this story is called:A. an economic intervention.
B. an economic crisis control.
C. the invisible hand.
D. the deliberate process.

In Economics, the term "invisible hand" refers to the belief that markets are created according to the demands and needs of individuals who take advantage of opportunities without the need for the intervention of other parties like a government. The term was coined by Scottish Enlightenment thinker Adam Smith (1723-1790) in his book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776).