“WE SHOULD NOT HELP THEM ONE MICRON,” and other dispatches from a vast chicken conspiracy
Poultry company executives are indicted on antitrust charges after years of federal investigations into price-fixing on America’s most ubiquitous protein.
At-home test kits have been hard to find in my cities across the United States. When they are in stock, their prices seem higher than what they should. One possible explanation comes in the form of monopoly power from the largest producer of the kits: Abbott Labratories.
U.S. sues to halt sugar merger, says it would harm competition
The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to block a major U.S. sugar manufacturer from acquiring its rival. The department contends that the deal would harm competition and consumers.
Last week saw the end of a 46-day long protest, including a 2-week long hunger strong, outside of City Hall in New York City. The group wasn’t protesting high rental prices or seeking to increase minimum wages in the city. The group sought debt relief
Question of the Day: Tesla recently achieved a stock market value of $1 trillion. It is now worth as much as the next ___________ auto companies combined. - Blog
Answer: 10 Questions: Why do you think Tesla is valued so much higher than all the other auto companies (Hint: think about how their cars are powered). Do you know who the founder of Tesla is? How about the founder of any of the other car companies you see on the chart? What do you think that Tesla’s value signals about the future of the car industry? Here's the ready-to-use slides for this Question of the Day for your classroom. Behind the numbers (USA Today): Its market value stands greater than General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW and several other auto giants combined.
Coca-Cola makes it’s most expensive brand acquisition in history buying BodyArmor
This is Coke’s most expensive brand acquisition in history and, combined with its Powerade product, would give the company a 22% share of the US sports drink market.
US sues to stop deal between American Airlines and JetBlue
The Justice Department and officials in six states have filed a lawsuit to block a partnership formed by American Airlines and JetBlue, claiming that it will reduce competition and lead to higher fares.
The U.K.’s competition watchdog has raised serious concerns about Nvidia’s proposed takeover of chip designer, ARM. Its assessment was published today by the government, which will now need to decide whether to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to carry out an in-depth pro…
Some Context on the Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy
Economists love to talk about the role of competitive markets, but markets aren’t always that competitive. Biden's latest Executive Order is an attempt to correct that.
More competition: Biden signs order targeting big business
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday targeting what he labeled anticompetitive practices in tech, health care and other parts of the economy, declaring it would fortify an American ideal “that true capitalism depends on fair and open competition."
France fines Google for abusing 'dominant' ads position
PARIS (AP) — Google is being fined 220 million euros ($268 million) by France’s antitrust watchdog for abusing its ‘dominant’ position in online advertising. The search engine giant is also promising to overhaul the way its platform is used for buying and selling digital ads, at least in France, which could have repercussions on its ongoing legal fights with regulators elsewhere in Europe, the U.S.
Commentary: Independent pharmacies overwhelmed by administrative burdens
Local pharmacies are an integral piece of a community's public health system. Right now, as we deal with an overburdened health care delivery system, our health and well-being are top of mind. Local pharmacies offer something that nobody else can: trusted, personalized care, unlike many big-brand…
Have you heard of that new restaurant in town? - Monday Morning Economist
If you've been ordering food online since the start of the pandemic, you may have noticed a bunch of new restaurants in your area that suddenly appeared. Let's look at the economics of ghost kitchens.
Visa will not acquire Plaid after running into regulatory wall
Visa and Plaid called off their agreement this afternoon, ending the consumer credit giant’s takeover of the data-focused fintech API startup. The deal, valued at $5.3 billion at the time of its announcement, first broke cover on January 13, 2020, or nearly one year ago to the day. However, the Department of Justice filed suit […]
Michigan regulators OK $100 million rate hike for Consumers Energy
Michigan regulators on Thursday approved a $100 million electric rate hike for Consumers Energy, authorizing the state's second-largest utility to bill the average residential customer about $9 more per month starting in January.The increase for residents is nearly 12 percent after factoring in…