Fast Facts - The numbers of significant antitrust merger investigations in the U.S. and the EU both are on pace to match 2017 levels. - Bayer/Monsanto was resolved after a more than 24-month investigation in the U.S., the...more
Since May of 2016, Bayer and Monsanto have been working on a deal to combine the two giants. Based on a report released by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, April 9, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice has just given its...more
Fast Facts - There are signs that the six-year trend toward longer significant investigations may be slowing or reversing. - Significant U.S. merger investigations lasted an average of 9.7 months in Q1 2018, the second...more
The European Commission has routinely considered potential harm to innovation as part of its merger assessments, particularly in R&D driven sectors such as pharmaceuticals and technology. In recent years, however, the...more
2017 saw some highly significant investigations and court judgments in European Union merger control. Notably: ..After detailed investigations and subject to extensive divestments, the European Commission (“EC”) cleared...more
Gretchen Morgenson and Fair Game have had a few days to reflect on the Bayer/Monsanto deal, and with that little bit of hindsight (and a lot of history), she’s not too sure that Bayer’s stockholders are going to be thrilled...more
The Committee on Capital Markets Regulation—a nonprofit that represents execs from many of the US’s largest banks—will release a paper today arguing that the Fed illegally sidestepped the APA by adopting “central parts of its...more
Following news of Starboard Value’s plan to shake things up at Perrigo, we have this take from Breakingviews, which suggests that fending off a hostile takeover (as Perrigo did from Mylan) tends to “make fertile turf for an...more
Dealbook gives us the story of Airgas, where founder Peter McCausland’s reticence to sell (despite serious shareholder pressure) resulted in a $5 billion windfall rather than the all-too-often result of a later sale for...more
We’ve heard about VW’s $15 billion settlement to resolve US claims by owners and regulators, but a spate of recent state AG-led actions shows that the fallout from the emissions cheating scandal is far from over. NY, MA, and...more
It’s a week of big fat NOs so far, with Tribune emphatically turning down Gannett yesterday and Monsanto doing the same to Bayer and its massive all-cash $62 billion offer...more