Ferengi have long been the clear embodiment of the excesses of capitalism - greed as the greatest virtue, profit at all costs etc. And indeed the US is the seat of capital for the western bloc. But in the geopolitical reflection of the series, the Federation is the USA. Metatextually, and in TNG specifically, the Federation is a defence of the USA-led neoliberal world order as it was in the 1990s.
At the heart of the Federation is it's self-mythologizing around its grand designs while it justifies doing the opposite. "Scientific research vessels" patrol political borders and host immense armament that can be used at the Federation's enemies at any moment. While extoling freedom, they force people off of their home planets. While championing individualism, the militarily-conformist Starfleet stands as the height of virtue. Federation chauvanism abounds as they assume they know what's best for everyone and are the most reasonable and neutral party.. It is an empire that insists it isn't- see? the Klingons are the one doing that! - that demands it's touch be seen as benelovent and gentle rather than destructive and disruptive. This closely reflects how the United States sees itself as a bringer of peace and prosperity where it brings immiseration, economic ruin and war.

While TNG is the optomistic outlook on neoliberalism, DS9 counters by showing the cracks and failures of the system... though some metaphorical weirdness comes from separating out the Ferengi (capitalism) from the Federation (neoliberal inter-state relations) since in reality they are different parts of the same system.