DOJ, FTC Considering Updating Merger Guidelines for Businesses

Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced a joint review of federal guidelines for corporate mergers. The announcement comes amid concerns about concentration in a range of industries which experts worry can reduce competition and consumer choice followed by decades of less aggressive antitrust enforcement. According to the agencies, merger filings more than doubled in 2020 and 2021. The review will consider whether guidelines should be modernized in light of technological and economic changes recently as they haven’t been updated in over a decade. The agencies hope to have a draft of the updated guidelines written by the end of the year.