Showing results for: “digital markets act”
The U.S., the WTO and the absence of international law
Joel Trachtman at International Economic Law & Policy blog and Julian Ku at Opinio Juris are commenting on the role of international law in shaping US behavior, in this case with respect to compliance with WTO rulings. As Joel points out, “[t]raditional realist political science considers traditional international law ‘epiphenomenal,’ meaning that the real action ... The U.S., the WTO and the absence of international law
Burger King IPO Announcement: Technical Violation of Securities Act?
Burger King announced today that it plans to file an IPO registration statement with the SEC in March (click here for a Reuters article). According to BK’s CEO: “Our goal has always been to take Burger King public . . . . We believe the transparency and stability in ownership offered by being a public ... Burger King IPO Announcement: Technical Violation of Securities Act?
Social Networks and Vertical Integration
My friend and co-author, Wes Hartmann (Stanford Graduate School of Business) has posted a very interesting paper with Ricard Gil (UC Santa Cruz Economics) entitled, “Airing your Dirty Laundry: Social Networks, Reputational Capital, and Vertical Integration.” As the title implies, Hartmann and Gil examine the role of social networks (ethnic-based networks in this case) on ... Social Networks and Vertical Integration
The costs of options expensing rules
Larry points us to a new corporate finance blog, Richard Booth’s The Quant. It looks like a great blog. The most recent post is on executive compensation–particularly on the serious problems of expensing options (and the FASB rule requiring it). Here’s a lengthy and informative excerpt (with a couple words from me following): In the ... The costs of options expensing rules
A Better Way to Save Magnificent Trees
Yesterday’s New York Times reported on “a growing movement, from suburban Washington to Los Angeles, to protect mature urban trees — and in some communities, make it a crime to chop them down.” Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, for example, was recently fined $37,000 for removing 130 view-obstructing trees on his riverfront estate, and the ... A Better Way to Save Magnificent Trees
Disney/Pixar Deal: $6 Billion for Lasseter
The Slate has an interesting take on the Disney/Pixar deal. In an article entitled “The $6 Billion Man,” Edward Jay Epstein asserts that Disney is essentially paying $6 billion to obtain the services of John Lasseter, Pixar’s creative guru. Lasseter’s salary last year was about $2.8 million, and the value of his Pixar shares and ... Disney/Pixar Deal: $6 Billion for Lasseter
Antitrust Law and Competition for Distribution
Thom recently posted about Judge Alito’s comments on the recent Lepage’s decision involving bundled discounts offered to retailers. There is presently much debate among antitrust scholars regarding the proper treatment of “above-cost” price cuts, such as the bundled discounts in Lepage’s. The anticompetitive theory in these cases is not that discounts mask what is effectively ... Antitrust Law and Competition for Distribution
Are Buyout Funds Appropriating Profits?
Today’s NYT has a sobering article entitled Public Companies, Singing the Blues. The article discusses a question raised by Daniel Loeb, a famous hedge fund manager, at a dinner of buyout kings in Davos, Switzerland (the site of the World Economic Forum). Loeb’s question: “Why can buyout firms take public companies private and make enormous ... Are Buyout Funds Appropriating Profits?
On disclosure: The hydraulic theory
We know that people respond to incentives, and that behavior will adjust in response to relative changes in price. But I think it’s commonly assumed that the only relevant price change attributable to disclosure regulations is the nominal change in direct costs of compliance. Sure, we all understand that if shareholder or regulatory pressure is ... On disclosure: The hydraulic theory
Hedge Fund Registration Requirement
The hedge fund registration requirements debated extensively in the blawgosphere a few months back (see, e.g., here, here, and here) will take effect on Wednesday of next week. According to this article in the W$J, so far 530 hedge fund advisers have registered and a few hundred more are expected before Wednesday. Recent estimates put ... Hedge Fund Registration Requirement
The Perils(?) of Educating Judges on Economics
Yesterday’s New York Times editorialized on my favorite recent non-story — the one about Justice Scalia’s failure to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Justice Roberts. C’mon guys. As lesser newspapers have already reported, Justice Scalia was in Colorado to teach a previously scheduled ten-hour seminar over two days. He received no honorarium for his ... The Perils(?) of Educating Judges on Economics
Taking Maytag and Whirlpool to the cleaners
Christine blogs about the Whirlpool-Maytag merger and its antitrust problems. Law Blog has the story, as well. Both mention the American Antitrust Institute which opposes (vehemently) the merger. In fact, the AAI has never met a merger it didn’t find anticompetitive, so its opposition should be taken with a grain of salt. Then again, I’ve ... Taking Maytag and Whirlpool to the cleaners
