Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“The business world thought Donald Trump would usher in a boom, only to get chaos and uncertainty. Businesses don’t like to make big plans when everything can change in an instant. That’s why merger activity in the U.S. has fallen by 18 percent in the first quarter of this year, despite the belief that pent-up dealmaking would soar once Biden’s aggressive antitrust enforcers were sidelined. The relative continuity in antitrust enforcement among Trump officials probably also has something to do with it. If a company in this environment is pursuing not one but a series of mergers, you have to wonder why they’d risk it. The reward payout must be significant: for example, moving toward a monopoly of the means by which Americans locate, buy, and pay for a home. Rocket is America’s third-largest mortgage lender, with $1.8 trillion in loans originated.” (04/02/25)
https://prospect.org/power/2025-04-02-how-corporate-pardons-create-monopolies-rocket-mortgage/