FTC Chief Andrew Ferguson on the Trump Vision for Antitrust
Odd Lots17 Mar 2025

FTC Chief Andrew Ferguson on the Trump Vision for Antitrust

When Donald Trump won in November, one of the things that Wall Street was excited about was an expected liberalization of merger rules. There was a popular view that under Chair Lina Khan, the Biden FTC was overly stringent about what deals it would let go through, and that the new administration would give the greenlight more often. But at least so far, reality hasn't proven to be so simple. There hasn't been a big merger wave yet. And, in fact, the FTC under new Chair Andrew Ferguson has decided to keep the merger guidelines that Khan put in place. So does this mean continuity? At a live episode of the podcast taped in Washington DC, we spoke with Ferguson about the Trump administration's vision for antitrust. He talked about his philosophy of keeping corporate power in check and the tests he's using to preserve a competitive environment. He also walked us through the long history of the FTC and the notion of consumer welfare, plus why he thinks a more expansive interpretation of the term (beyond just lower prices) is in keeping with the history of conservative legal thought.

Read More: New DOJ Antitrust Chief Builds Team From Prior Administrations
Trump’s FTC Moves Ahead With Broad Microsoft Antitrust Probe

Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(1181)

Henry Blodget on the Software Selloff Hysteria and the Problem for OpenAI

Henry Blodget on the Software Selloff Hysteria and the Problem for OpenAI

A year ago, all of the talk was about how the big AI companies were wildly overvalued. Everyone was calling it a bubble. Fast forward to now, and a dominant idea in the markets is that AI is so powerf...

7 Mar 45min

Lots More on the Seaborne Chaos Around the Strait of Hormuz

Lots More on the Seaborne Chaos Around the Strait of Hormuz

With war breaking out in Iran, the price of oil is surging, in part due to the destruction of oil energy infrastructure, but also the ability of anything to get through the Strait of Hormuz. But it’s ...

6 Mar 30min

Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein on Why He Doesn't Tweet

Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein on Why He Doesn't Tweet

Lloyd Blankfein was CEO of Goldman Sachs for more than a decade, riding the trading boom to the top of the storied investment bank and steering it through the 2008 financial crisis. In his new memoir,...

5 Mar 47min

How the Speed of a Trade Got Down to Nearly the Speed of Light

How the Speed of a Trade Got Down to Nearly the Speed of Light

The average person can enter a stock trade on their computer, hit refresh, and the trade is done. As fast as that seems, there are professional traders moving even faster, executing thousands of trade...

2 Mar 55min

Introducing: Bloomberg This Weekend

Introducing: Bloomberg This Weekend

'Bloomberg This Weekend' features unique conversations on business, news, lifestyle and culture. Join David Gura, Christina Ruffini and Lisa Mateo Saturdays and Sundays for discussions with business l...

1 Mar 1min

James van Geelen on His Viral AI Doom Scenario

James van Geelen on His Viral AI Doom Scenario

Something very unusual happened in the market in the last week of February. It sold off, in part, thanks to an article on Substack. James van Geelen is the founder of Citrini Research, which published...

28 Feb 43min

The Scramble Is On for Businesses to Get Their Tariff Refund Checks

The Scramble Is On for Businesses to Get Their Tariff Refund Checks

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs were illegal. And now basically every importer who paid those tariffs will be rushing to get their refunds. But will b...

27 Feb 44min

How Insurance Costs Make NYC Construction So Expensive

How Insurance Costs Make NYC Construction So Expensive

It's hard to imagine New York City becoming significantly more affordable as long as it remains so expensive to build things. Whether we're talking about new housing or transportation, the city is a f...

26 Feb 47min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
pengepodden-2
finansredaksjonen
utbytte
liberal-halvtime
pengesnakk
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
rss-markedspuls-2
rss-politisk-preik
lederpodden
rss-pa-konto
rss-impressions-2
rss-densannepodden
rss-finanslunsj