#322 Prices on Your Mind? Using Economics To Understand Inflation, Tariffs, and Junk Fees
Release Date: 04/21/2025
#341 How Should Killer Acquisitions Be Assessed? A Discussion With Professor Nicolas Petit
Our Curious Amalgam
Merger control regulators in the EU and around the world continue to focus on killer acquisitions. But is this concern justified in the digital sector? Professor Nicolas Petit, a leading competition law academic, joins Matthew Hall and Blair Matthews to discuss the Antitrust Law Journal article on the subject he co-authored and killer acquisitions generally. Listen to this episode to learn more about the methodology behind and findings in the paper and why the concerns on this issue may not be justified. With special guest: Professor Nicolas Petit, Professor, European University Institute;...
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#340 How Do You Win (and Not Lose) a Merger Trial?
Our Curious Amalgam
Merger litigation is fast, high-stakes, and often unpredictable. So what does it take to win—or avoid losing—when the government challenges a deal? In this episode, Puja Patel and James Hunsberger are joined by Kieran Gostin, a partner at Wilkinson Stekloff and a seasoned merger trial lawyer who helped Microsoft defeat the FTC in its challenge to the Activision acquisition. From trial preparation strategy to expert witness credibility, internal documents versus economic modeling, and real-world lessons from Microsoft/Activision, the conversation covers both foundational insights and...
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#339 How Do Presidents Shape Antitrust? The Oval Office and the Enforcement Pendulum
Our Curious Amalgam
Antitrust enforcement can change dramatically between Presidential administrations. What makes the political winds flip between more and less enforcement? In this episode, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Kades joins hosts Anant Raut and Anna Olson to step back and draw insightful themes from the history of antitrust enforcement across Presidential administrations. With special guest: Michael Kades, Partner, Nachawati Law Group Hosted by: Anant Raut and Anna Olson
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#338 How Clean Are Your Claims? Understanding the New Anti-Greenwashing Amendments to Canada’s Competition Act
Our Curious Amalgam
Among the recent amendments to Canada's Competition Act are new provisions targeting so-called “greenwashing,” i.e., misleading claims in advertising regarding the environmental benefits of a product. In a related development, the Competition Bureau has issued guidelines concerning its enforcement approach to environmental claims under the new law. What will be the impact of the changes on companies and consumers? In this episode, Alicia Downey and Anora Wang talk to Canadian consumer protection lawyer Candice Kloes about the amendments, the guidelines, and the increased risks and...
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#337 What Are the Risks of a Minority Shareholding? The European Commission’s Decision in Delivery Hero/Glovo
Our Curious Amalgam
In June 2025, the European Commission announced a decision under which it fined two competing online food delivery companies a combined total of €329 million for cartel behaviour that took place while one company held a minority stake in the other company. The infringing behaviour included, among other things, exchanging competitively sensitive information “beyond what was needed for a corporate investor to protect a financial investment decision.” Does the Delivery Hero/Glovo decision suggest that minority shareholdings may be subject to stricter scrutiny going forward? Hosts Matthew...
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#336 What Are the Risks of Serial Acquisitions? Empirical Evidence From the Dialysis Industry
Our Curious Amalgam
There is a growing interest in understanding the economics of serial acquisitions, particularly in the healthcare industries and markets, and whether such corporate strategies lead to changes in prices and quality causing antitrust concerns. What has been found in existing economic studies? Paul Eliason, Assistant Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University and co-author of a leading study on serial acquisitions focusing on the dialysis industry, discusses his observations and insights with Anora Wang and Derek Jackson. Listen to this episode to learn about the knowns and unknowns from...
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#335 Are You Ready To Respond? Developments in Competition Law Dawn Raids
Our Curious Amalgam
The "dawn raid" is one of the rare moments of high drama in the work of many competition lawyers. How can you be prepared when that early-morning phone call or text from a client comes? Ashley Latham, an antitrust and government investigations litigator with Linklaters LLP, joins Matthew Hall and Matt Reynolds for a discussion of current "dawn raid" trends in the U.S. and the European Union. Tune in to learn more about what questions to ask, what issues to raise, and what you can do to help clients prepare for when authorities come knocking. With special guest: Ashley Latham, Managing...
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#334 What’s the Word on Wage-Fixing? Cracking Down on Collusion Among Employers
Our Curious Amalgam
The U.S. Department of Justice has made it clear that some agreements among competing employers regarding workers’ salaries or other terms of compensation--so-called “wage-fixing agreements”--may be subject to criminal prosecution. What kind of conduct falls within the scope of wage-fixing? In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Blair Matthews talk to Crowell & Moring partner and former senior DOJ prosecutor Ken Dintzer about the latest developments on the wage-fixing front, including the first criminal conviction for wage-fixing won at trial. Listen and learn what business...
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#333 Is Antitrust Fashionable This Season? Antitrust in the Fashion Industry
Our Curious Amalgam
What happens when antitrust law meets high fashion? In this episode, experienced fashion and luxury industry counsel Andowah Newton, joins Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to unpack recent antitrust cases in the luxury and fashion industries. From the FTC’s challenge to Tapestry’s acquisition of Capri, to no-poach allegations involving Saks and major fashion houses, to tying claims against Hermès and its coveted Birkin bag, we explore how competition law is colliding with market definition, exclusivity, branding, and status. Listen in for insights on how antitrust enforcers—and the...
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#332 What Is the Role of Behavioural Economics in Consumer Protection Enforcement? The UK’s New DMCC Act Regime
Our Curious Amalgam
The UK's consumer protection regime changed early in 2025. How will behavioural economics be used by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in applying the rules? Stefan Hunt, partner at Keystone Strategy in London, joins Matthew Reynolds and Matthew Hall to discuss previous consumer protection cases investigated by the CMA and the new regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Listen to this episode to learn more about the application of behavioural economics to consumer protection enforcement and how companies should prepare. With special guest: Stefan...
info_outlineWe are seeing some swirling changes to the marketplace and international trade that affect prices of goods and services in our daily lives. How can economics help us cope and understand underlying concepts such as cost pass-through? Anne Catherine Faye, Vice President at Analysis Group, speaks to James Hunsberger and Anora Wang about inflation, tariffs, and junk fees, as well as her experience as the first economist to serve as Counsel to the Chair of the ABA Antitrust Section. Listen to this episode to see key antitrust issues on the horizon through an economic lens.
With special guest:
Anne Catherine Faye, Vice President, Analysis Group, Inc.
Related Links:
Jason Douglas et al., How Much Do Tariffs Raise Prices? The Wall Street Journal (Mar. 2, 2025)
Hosted by:
Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP