In one of the largest oil mergers ever, CRA economists were retained by the merging parties to assess the potential effects of the transaction on competition in the sale of crude oil to refineries on the West Coast. Combining in-depth industry knowledge with theoretical and statistical economic analysis, CRA’s expert demonstrated that competition was unlikely to be harmed because the merging entities were not meaningful competitors in the sale of crude oil and because substantial competition was provided by foreign suppliers. The Federal Trade Commission approved the merger conditional on certain divestments.
Assessing umbrella pricing incentives
When collusive agreements involve a subset of firms in an industry, they may create the incentive and ability for firms that are not participants in the cartel...