Keyword: mergers & acquisitions

This US survey examines (a) Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of US Steel would lead to substantially less employment in the US steel industry than in the absence of such a deal; (b) Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of US Steel would cause no measurable damage to the American economy

This week's US Economic Experts Panel statements: A) Industry consolidation and weaker competition in the United States meaningfully constrain innovation and wage growth. B) Americans pay too much for broadband, cable television, and telecommunications services, in part because of a lack of adequate competition.

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statements: A) Forcing Amazon to divest Whole Foods now would be in the public interest. B) Acquisitions by large tech platforms where there are risks of anti-competitive effects like those posed by Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods should not be permitted. C) Large tech platforms, such as Amazon Marketplace and Google Search, should be designated as ‘platform utilities' and broken apart from any participant on that platform.

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel Statements: A) The average European is better off if Europe’s competition authorities let firms merge into European champions in their sectors, even it weakens competition. B) If China and other countries use policies that create giant international firms, then the average European is better off if Europe's competition authorities let firms merge into European champions in their sectors, even it weakens competition.

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statement: A merger of AT&T and Time Warner would likely increase consumer surplus over the ensuing decade.

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statements: The four largest domestic US banks currently have around 40% of the industry’s domestic assets (an average of 10% each). In early 1998, before Glass-Steagall ended and before Citicorp merged with Travelers, they held 13.2% (an average of 3.3% each). Thirty years ago, before interstate branching was fully permitted, that combined share was around 8% (an average of 2% each). A) Capping US banks’ size so that no single bank could be larger than 4% of the sector's domestic assets would lower systemic risk in the US. B) The US financial system would contribute more to the average American’s welfare if the size of US banks were capped so that none could be larger than 4% of the sector's domestic assets.