A team of CRA economists advised counsel to Synopsys, Inc. in its acquisition of Magma Design Automation Inc., a provider of chip design software. Both firms provide electronic design automation used by semiconductor designers and are the leading producers in several software categories. CRA’s team advised Synopsys throughout a review by the FTC. CRA economists analyzed previous mergers in this industry and found no evidence that, in similar mergers, the combined firms were able to exercise pricing power. The CRA team’s analysis also revealed a long history of new product entry in the market segments of Magma’s primary products, mitigating any competitive concerns the FTC may have had.
How capacity constraints shape unilateral price effects in horizontal mergers
Examples include hospitals with a fixed number of beds, and hotels with a fixed number of rooms. In the article “Unilateral Price Effects in Horizontal...