ORCID
Russell W. Pittman – 0000-0001-9498-0561
Keywords
Merger enforcement, Critical loss analysis, Upward pricing pressure, Vertical arithmetic, Horizontal mergers, Vertical mergers, Antitrust economics.
Abstract
This paper presents a non-technical introduction to three economic tools that have in recent years become widespread in competition law enforcement in general and in the analysis of proposed mergers in particular: critical loss analysis, upward pricing pressure, and the vertical arithmetic. In addition, for each tool, its use in a recent U.S. merger case is illustrated: for critical loss analysis, the Novelis/Aleris merger; for upward pricing pressure, the GE/Electrolux merger; and for the vertical arithmetic, the Comcast/NBCU joint venture.
Acknowledgements
Funding
This article received no funding.
Declaration of Conflict of Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and publication of this article.
Declaration about the scope of AI utilisation
The author did not use AI in the preparation of this article.
Acknowledgment
This paper is a revised and augmented version of Pittman (2018). The views expressed do not purport to reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Recommended Citation
Pittman, R. W. (2025). Three Economist’s Tools for Antitrust and Merger Analysis: Case Applications [Preprint]. Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies, 19(33). https://doi.org/10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2025.19.33.2
Page Count
29
Received Date
27.07.2025
Accepted Date
24.11.2025
DOI
10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2025.19.33.2
JEL Code
K21, L41, L42
Publisher
University of Warsaw
