The Anti-Competitive Effects of Minority Stake Acquisitions
Authors: Nain, Amrita; Wang, Yan
Abstract:
We show that partial equity ownership of rival firms is driven by competitive considerations and has significant anticompetitive effects. Firms in competitive industries are more likely to acquire a minority stake in a rival firm鈥檚 equity. Moreover, minority sake acquisitions are followed by higher output prices and higher price-cost margins, particularly in industries with high barriers to entry. The increase in prices and profit margins is larger when the acquirer and target have a larger market share and when the percentage of shares acquired is higher. Our results suggest that passive investments in rival firms deserve antitrust scrutiny.
Read full paper: November 2012
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