For
Release: February
2, 2004
FTC
Issues Horizontal Merger Investigation Data
The Federal Trade Commission today released
a staff analysis of horizontal merger investigations for fiscal
years 1996 to 2003. The merger data released contains tabulated
market share and concentration levels associated with the
FTC’s investigations in more than 780 markets over the
last eight years. The data tabulations use the two market
share concentration statistics described in the agency’s
Horizontal Merger Guidelines – the post-merger Herfindahl-Hirschman
Index (HHI) and the change in the HHI – and reflect
151 horizontal merger investigations in total.
For a subset of the investigations –
those with three or fewer markets – the FTC staff also
retrieved information on whether or not “hot documents”
or “strong customer complaints” were identified
during the investigation. The FTC staff have tabulated the
Commission’s enforcement decisions based on the presence
or absence of these variables. These results are presented
in tabular format. In addition, the data discuss the number
of “significant competitors” with regard to decisions
to seek relief in horizontal merger investigations, defining
the term relative to the competitive effects theory that was
the most plausible basis for the specific investigation. Data
on “significant competitors” is presented for
573 relevant markets.
The FTC and Antitrust Division of the U.S.
Department of Justice also have announced that they will hold
a joint workshop on merger enforcement in Washington, DC,
on February 17-19, 2004. Copies of the announcement of a workshop
on merger enforcement, as well as the summary of merger challenges
data for fiscal years 1999-2003, can be found on the Commission’s
Web site at www.ftc.gov.
Copies
of this press release, the data it describes, and the Commission’s
initial set of merger-related data issued on December 18,
2003 can be found on the FTC’s Web site at www.ftc.gov.
The FTC’s Bureau of Competition seeks to prevent business
practices that restrain competition. The Bureau carries out
its mission by investigating alleged law violations and, when
appropriate, recommending that the Commission take formal
enforcement action. To notify the Bureau concerning particular
business practices, call or write the Office of Policy and
Evaluation, Room 394, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade
Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580,
Electronic Mail: antitrust@ftc.gov;
Telephone (202) 326-3300. For more information on the laws
that the Bureau enforces, the Commission has published “Promoting
Competition, Protecting Consumers: A Plain English Guide to
Antitrust Laws,” which can be accessed at http://www.ftc.gov/bc/compguide/index.htm.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161
(http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/01/horizmerger.htm)
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Related Documents:
Horizontal Merger Investigation Data, Fiscal Years 1996-2003 (Additional Material Added August 2004) [PDF 395K]
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