On January 7, 2025, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced a record USD5.68m civil penalty to settle alleged pre-merger coordination in violation of the HSR Act. This settlement is the largest dollar penalty that has...more
1/15/2025
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Competition ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Oil & Gas ,
Unfair Competition
M&A practitioners anticipate a ‘Trump bump’ -
The scale of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election – and the fact the Republicans now have full control of Congress – has been greeted with optimism by U.S....more
12/20/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Welcome to the latest edition of M&A Insights, where we bring together partners from across the A&O Shearman network to explore the themes shaping global dealmaking.
The election of Donald Trump as President is expected to...more
12/18/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Buyers ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Listing Standards ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States ,
US Trade Policies
In our biannual M&A trends report we explore the possible impact of the new U.S. administration on dealmaking, the dynamics of transatlantic M&A, private equity exits, and Mario Draghi’s proposals to reshape the European...more
12/18/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Buyers ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Listing Standards ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States ,
US Trade Policies
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
Antitrust authorities continued their aggressive campaign against procedural merger control infringements in 2022. A total of EUR113.8m fines were imposed in 70 decisions across the jurisdictions surveyed....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
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
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
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
Merger review processes are being impacted worldwide as merger control authorities adapt to take account of the consequences of Covid-19. While critical transactions are likely to be reviewed, as far as possible, in...more
11/13/2020
/ Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Jurisdiction ,
Merger Controls ,
Regulatory Standards
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 regulatory response to the global financial crisis has impacted nearly all major functions of the investment banking industry, including trading, capital and liquidity requirements, risk management, compliance and...more