Showing results for: “price gouging”
The FCC Payola Probe Continues
The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it is stepping up efforts in its investigation of payola practices at four radio conglomerates: Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Entercom, and Citadel, and has issued former letters of inquiry. Bill pointed me to an article in the LA Times which reports that settlement talks with the four radio ... The FCC Payola Probe Continues
Option Backdating: The Next Big Corporate Scandal?
Option backdating was on page one of the W$J again yesterday (here). The story was spurred by comments made by UnitedHealth’s CEO, William W. McGuire, during UnitedHealth’s First Quarter 2006 Results Teleconference on Tuesday. UnitedHealth’s option grants to Dr. McGuire were among those cited as suspicious by a March 18 page one W$J (article here; ... Option Backdating: The Next Big Corporate Scandal?
Manne & Williamson get results from the FTC and DOJ!
My co-author, Marc Williamson, just alterted me to this section in the recently-published FTC/DOJ Merger Guidelines Commentary (.pdf): Industry Usage of the Word “Market� Is Not Controlling Relevant market definition is, in the antitrust context, a technical exercise involving analysis of customer substitution in response to price increases; the “markets� resulting from this definition process ... Manne & Williamson get results from the FTC and DOJ!
Do Slotting Contracts Harm Consumers?
Warning: shameless plug of my own research to follow! Slotting allowances, or payments for shelf space, have been a central part of my research agenda for the last several years. My work with Ben Klein, The Economics of Slotting Contracts, presents a procompetitive theoretical explanation (and some aggregate data in support of our theory) for ... Do Slotting Contracts Harm Consumers?
More on the Google Offering
Following up on this post, the prospectus supplement for Google’s offering of 5.3 million shares of its Class A common stock is now available on the SEC’s website (here). The deal was priced on March 31 at $389.00 per share for a total of $2.066 billion. Interestingly, Goldman was the sole underwriter and received a ... More on the Google Offering
In Defense of Short-Selling
In today’s W$J, Holman Jenkins stands up for short-sellers, and rightly so. Those folks have taken a bit of a beating lately. They’ve been sued by companies like Biovail and Overstock.com and trashed on talk shows like CBS’s 60 Minutes. [NOTE: I originally linked to the 60 Minutes segment, but I just realized that the ... In Defense of Short-Selling
A Bizarre Insider Trading Case from Down Under
Today’s W$J reports on an odd lawsuit the Australian government is pursuing against Citigroup. According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, a smoke break conversation between Citigroup employees resulted in illegal insider trading. Citigroup, it seems, was representing bidder Toll Holdings, Inc. in a yet-to-be-announced hostile bid for Patrick Corp., Austrialia’s largest port cargo ... A Bizarre Insider Trading Case from Down Under
Nacchio’s Puzzling Insider Trading Defense, Part II
I’m really starting to worry about the lawyers for former Qwest CEO, Joseph Nacchio. (I first expressed concern here.) Mr. Nacchio has been charged with 42 counts of criminal insider trading. The charges are based on allegations that Mr. Nacchio learned, after Qwest had made some rosy public statements, that business wasn’t going as well ... Nacchio’s Puzzling Insider Trading Defense, Part II
Chicago Price Theory Conference
The University of Chicago Initiative on Chicago Price Theory — whose founders include Gary Becker, Kevin M. Murphy, and Steve Levitt — is holding a conference on April 7-8. The line up is spectacular, and includes excellent panels on: the market for talent in finance, the environment and economics, a tribute to Gary Becker, the ... Chicago Price Theory Conference
Sen. Lugar’s New Grip on Reality
In a recent speech at the Brookings Institution, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) bashed what he called “a laissez-faire energy policy that relies on market evolution.” Under such a policy, he says, “life in America is going to be much more difficult in the coming decades.” He insists that “[w]hat is needed is an urgent national ... Sen. Lugar’s New Grip on Reality
Globetrotters Update
Sports Law Blog’s Michael McCann updates our recent discussion (me: here and here; and Professor McCann here) of the Harlem Ambassadors’ complaint to the FTC regarding the Globetrotters’ use of exclusivity windows in sports arena leases. In response to our debate, the Harlem Ambassadors’ founder and president Dale Moss emailed us some very interesting comments. ... Globetrotters Update
I look pretty young but I'm just backdated, yeah
The WSJ this weekend has a long piece on the issue of stock option backdating, “The Perfect Payday.” Here’s the tagline: Some CEOs reap millions by landing stock options when they are most valuable. Luck–or something else? It’s an interesting article, much of which is devoted to debunking the assertion that backdating of options grants ... I look pretty young but I'm just backdated, yeah
