This new stance, however, does not signal unchecked dealmaking for transacting parties. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are simultaneously emphasizing that robust, evidence-based enforcement...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced increases to the notification thresholds and premerger filing fees under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act, which requires premerger notification of...more
Global deal value and volume fell again in 2023, down 33% and 18% respectively compared to 2022. This is unsurprising, given persistently tough macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical tensions. Dealmakers are also facing an...more
2/28/2024
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Australia ,
Competition Authorities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Merger Controls ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The FTC revises the jurisdictional and filing fee thresholds annually based on the change in gross national product. The FTC also revises filing fees annually based on changes to the consumer price index under Division GG of...more
1/25/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Size of Persons Test ,
Size of Transaction Test ,
Threshold Requirements
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) (collectively, the Agencies) recently issued the Hart-Scott-Rodino Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2022 (the Report). Covering the...more
On July 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division announced sweeping changes to how they review deals. The agencies published new “Merger Guidelines” that identify the competition...more
7/24/2023
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merger Controls ,
Regulatory Reform
As we look ahead to the second half of 2023, the outlook for M&A remains complex. In the six months to the end of June, global deal value stood at USD1.2 trillion, around one-third of last year’s annual total.
...more
We have collected and analysed data on merger control activity for 2022 from 26 jurisdictions. We give you the key trends and developments from the past year, focusing in particular on the EU, UK, U.S. and China.
...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 includes significant changes affecting large M&A transactions and deals involving certain foreign entities. The Act would also give state attorneys general additional control over...more
Policy change expands the Agency’s oversight under Section 5 of the FTC Act and abandons the application of the “Rule of Reason.”...more
The DOJ Antitrust Division is amplifying the Biden Administration’s whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement by seeking cooperation from enforcers outside the U.S....more
Throughout his campaign and since taking office, President Biden promised to increase and expand antitrust enforcement. After months of speculation about what form this promise would take, the direction of antitrust agenda,...more
The appointment of Lina Khan as Chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission is the latest in a series of developments – including investigations, legislative proposals for overhauls large and small, and reinvigorated...more
Public input -
As we wrote a couple of months ago, antitrust authorities of the US, Canada, UK, and EU formed, in March, an international working group: the Multilateral Pharmaceutical Merger Task Force (the Task Force)....more
Antitrust authorities remained highly active in 2020, despite the pandemic reducing overall global M&A, according to our latest annual survey of global merger control enforcement trends across 26 jurisdictions....more
In early March we published our latest Global trends in merger control enforcement report. In it, we analyse data for 2020 from 26 jurisdictions (focusing on the EU, UK, U.S., and China) and look ahead at what to expect from...more
Working group’s goal is “concrete and actionable” updates to pharmaceutical merger analysis....more
The inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States has set in motion a number of significant policy changes. In this panel discussion, our U.S. legal and policy specialists shared their insights on what our...more
3/10/2021
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
CFIUS ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mergers ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
Tax Policy
The election of Joe Biden is likely to usher in an era of more stable and predictable politics in the U.S., increasing the kind of investor confidence on which M&A transactions thrive....more
Adverse economic or social conditions have not historically tended to affect the general application and enforcement of antitrust rules. This remains the overall position in the circumstances of Covid-19, with many antitrust...more
Adverse economic or social conditions have not historically tended to affect the general application and enforcement of antitrust rules. This remains the overall position in the circumstances of Covid-19, with many antitrust...more
Adverse economic or social conditions have not historically tended to affect the general application and enforcement of antitrust rules. This remains the overall position in the circumstances of Covid-19, with many antitrust...more
Adverse economic or social conditions have not historically tended to affect the general application and enforcement of antitrust rules. This remains the overall position in the circumstances of Covid-19, with many antitrust...more
Adverse economic or social conditions have not historically tended to affect the general application and enforcement of antitrust rules. This remains the overall position in the circumstances of Covid-19, with many antitrust...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced increases to the notification thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act, which requires pre-merger notification of certain transactions to the FTC...more