Get ready for an explosion of merger announcements as Wall Street assumes Trump will win, and let a consolidation frenzy ensue. It's a big bet. But is it a smart bet?
You don’t appoint Lina Khan, a person who was well known to be pro aggressive antitrust enforcement by accident. The ant-Biden nonsense that people put out is really over the top.
Yes. As a Senator, Biden was representing Delaware, which has a big credit card industry. As President, he represents the whole country. He's not intrinsically beholden to corporate interests, he's in a different job.
In my opinion, politicians are different than you or me: what makes them different is that they seek power for its own sake.
To suggest otherwise would be to say that Biden went into government in order to change the system, which he has not.
Or rather, he has helped be part of the change for the worse, enriching himself and his family who sells access to him.
He's hardly unique - after all DC is littered with failchildren whose only career is capitalizing on their connections to what the Right Wing correctly calls The Swamp. Stopped clocks, and all.
I follow you, Matt, because real journalism, like your journalism, helps us hold those who seek power to account, and I thank you.
But surely you must realize that when the leadership of the less horrific party says that Congress should be able to enrich themselves with insider trading because capitalism, that we are in deep trouble.
Biden went into Congress as a liberal, and whatever liberals in the USA means regarding business, he has been liberal on many things. He is older now, but I just think he is in a different position and there are different understandings. He is the first president to take on Reagenomics and for that I am grateful. Also, I am flying roundtrip with an expensive airline from Germany to USA this holiday season, and got the cheapest tickets I have had in about 20 years.
Well, if your plane tickets was less expensive, that definitely means we should ignore the plight of the people who can't afford plane tickets.
That 40% of Americans that are $400 away from financial catastrophe don't count, I guess.
Or the people dying of easily prevented diseases because Biden's entire Presidency exists for little other reason that to stop Bernie from taking a chunk out of the healthcare industry's profits.
It is far more reasonable that you are being just as partisan as any Trump supporter who believes that the Orange One is going to take on corruption in DC.
The far more reasonable course of action, it seems to me, is to believe people when they tell you who they are.
TIP from a subscriber. Matt, thanks for your hard work and dedication. My wife and I have been Marriott timeshare owners since 1999. When we bought, we had a two-bedroom week at a resort that we could trade through Interval International where there were 2000 resorts to choose from. We could break our unit into a studio apartment and a one-bedroom apartment and get 2 weeks for the one week.
About a decade ago, Marriott stopped selling the timeshare weeks and came up with a points system ("Destination Points," "Trust Points"). For the same amount in maintenance fees, I could not stay one week in my home resort if I choose to convert my week to the new points, but I do have more flexibility in that I can choose any length of stay -- not just a week.
Now Marriott has bought the Interval International exchange and may be manipulating what happens to my week if I deposit it to benefit themselves. Also, they bought 3 of the 4 biggest competitor timeshare companies. They now own Hyatt, Sheraton, and Weston. They've also been buying hotel chains like crazy. Only Hilton (which bought the much smaller Diamond Resorts) is now offering any kind of competition to Marriott.
I'm a passionate advocate for rent control/rent stabilization, opponent of private-equity intrusion into the housing market, and believer that the homeless crisis is 90% caused by the uncontrolled increase in rents, especially since Covid. Yesterday I was read online that "On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA-09) introduced the "End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act" in both chambers of Congress, seeking to push institutional investors out of the U.S. housing market.
The bill aims not only to ban "hedge funds" from amassing large portfolios of single-family homes but also to force them to sell off their portfolio. The bill would require “hedge funds” to “sell at least 10% of the total number of single-family homes they currently own to families per year over a 10-year period. After a 10-year full phase-out, all hedge funds will be completely banned from owning any single-family homes.” Did I read this on a news site? No. On the 'Housing is a Human Right' advocacy group email in my inbox? No. I read it on ResiClub <lance@resiclubanalytics.com> , an industry email that I somehow got signed up for because I own rental property. This seems like groundbreaking news to me, I haven't the slightest hope that this legislation will pass, but it's a start. There's also a ballot initiative on the November 2024 ballot in California to permit CA cities and municipalities to pass rent control/rent stabilization laws, which is currently illegal in 30 states (thanks to ALEC-drafted and promoted legislation, I suspect). Why isn't this bigger news?
Wouldn't finding ways to increase the housing stock be a better solution to this problem? The reason landlords can increase rents the way they do is because the limited amount of housing supply gives them the pricing power. With the increased rent levels, its not like a lot of these places are sitting empty.. the market is able to clear the price. Increase the housing supply and this clearing price will come down.
TIP from a subscriber. Matt, thanks for your hard work and dedication. My wife and I have been Marriott timeshare owners since 1999. When we bought, we had two-bedroom week at a resort that we could trade through Interval International where there were 2000 resorts to choose from. We could break our unit into a studio apartment and a one-bedroom apartment and get 2 weeks for the one week.
About a decade ago, the stopped selling the timeshare weeks and cme up with a points system ("Destination Points," "Trust Points"). For the same amount in maintenance fees, I could not stay one week in my home resort if I choose to convert my week to the new points, but I do have more flexibility in that I can choose any length of stay -- not just a week.
Now Marriott has bought the Interval International exchange and may be manipulating what happens to my week if I deposit it to benefit themselves. Also, they bought 3 of the 4 biggest competitor timeshare companies. They now own Hyatt, Sheraton, and Weston. They've also been buying hotel chains like crazy. Only Hilton (which bought the much smaller Diamond Resorts) is now offering any kind of competition to Marriott.
I have said this before: the Democratic Establishment doesn't exist to govern - it exists to prevent anyone who is serious about reducing wealth inequality from ever holding office.
So it doesn't matter if they win - if they block anyone who might even consider bringing back some of the protections of the New Deal, they will be showered with donations when they are in office, and o̶u̶t̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶i̶b̶e̶s̶ generous speaking fees, book deals, and low stress/high pay sinecures when they get out of office.
Biden is almost certainly going to lose. It doesn't matter. If they switch to someone who isn't a complete corporate shill throwing crumbs at an increasingly angry and desperate electorate, they will lose their backing.
Once you start looking at them this way, their ineffectual and self-defeating actions are no longer confusing.
Biden is not almost certainly going to lose. See the election last month where the Democrats did very well across the country except Long Island. With regard to Trump, he was only in favor of antitrust actions against those companies who he believed snubbed him or he thought would play well for his base against elitist tech companies. Biden’s appointment of Lina Khan at the FTC and Jonathan Kanter in DOJ Anti-Trust Division are certainly excellent appointments. I love your Substack Matt but your sometimes ambivalence towards the Biden Administration antitrust efforts seems odd when they are the first administration in over 40 years to take antitrust seriously.
I think it's fairly safe to believe that the President formerly known as "The Senator From MBNA" has appointed a few good people more by accident than on purpose. The way Ryan Grim describes it, Liz Warren had a lot more to do with Khan/Kantor than Biden.
Biden is losing non-whites due his poor governance. Strangely, having rich white people tell you "Everything is great, you stupid, ungrateful idiot! Look at these numbers!" when you can't afford rent, food, and gas isn't working too well with people.
Biden is losing non-whites due his poor governance. Strangely, having rich white people tell you "Everything is great, you stupid, ungrateful idiot! Look at these numbers!" when you can't afford rent, food, and gas isn't working too well with people.
Hi Stanley,,, With thought, and to me needed, as to educate people. 1. Feds actions in some cases takes time, some!,lol. 1.B. we came out of a pandemic, just on that face and BIG issue was the supply change. Which have we worked out that end. It with EVEN fair, honest, ethics and some morality. You I am sure heard before, "do not let a Good Crisis, go to waste.
OK, point, I believe we have and are seeing, Those that "their" Constitution is greed.
How is it, and your right Stanley, we are seeing very high cost of living. those bank account and mounting credit card debt.
How is this?
Where we are having Great GDP#
Jobs increases
Wage increase even
All those, number Spelled, in past was great economy!
In past, decades ago, We had to have a strong dollar, and at same time, keep up with have trade going out VS Us in the USA having coming in.
Why, the change and or why it isn't working for the Middle class.?
answer is simple to these judges, its about Supply and Demand issue.
Once and i can show, where big Oil and has already done this and doing it. to US the people.
Cut the supply end, thus raising cost.
Matt show this when I joined here over a report, he made on Meat industry.
Where and yeah, buy the guy and the So called expert Analysis on this sh*t.
screwing number or hiding Facts to their own report.
Just like in 2008-07, where we had $147 a barrow oil. It was all bull shit on a report that we Globally was using 1% more then able to Produce Globally. A lie, on the fact, NO it was the productors end of Cutting supply.
BUT, NO, news was, it was the Futures - CME- Speculators fault. So, push was being made to end future trading. I feared that, WHY, for it was the Speculators that would bring it down again. ONCE, it was shown BS. Thus, we had USA Oil,, once it came down. and gasoline was still high though. WHY, they said, "Well even when Oil- crude was down to $35 a barrow. they just could not produce the Gasoline fast enough. LIE, they shut down oil lines and refineries.
As to, WHY, the hell, someone thought, it was a good idea. To invest and move day to day products over Seas thus shipped back here, is just mind-boggling.
Stupid math and or mostly very costly in long run.
Wall street middle men, Ownership of all, will end and we`re seeing it, unfloding, End the middle class, And lead to power by means of I have the supply end. What you can do now? Eat what I feel like giving you. or die.
My name is NoBody, (1vs160)
P.S. how Ya`ll feel, as to CEO making 400 M$ a year. thats what Rex Tillerson was making at Exxon Moble. in 2008. We he stated as to congress House side as to WHY. Gasoline is so high with $35 crude. But on Senate side it was all about killing Future trading. He stated Rex, they shutt down refineries for profit.
BUT, see if you can fine it. its gone from You tube, but you`ll get the Senate side story- hearings, thats there.
I wanted to add, on Big Oil. With, why we still have high gasoline prices? At same time exporting more Oil then anybody on the globe, Now.
Oil Companies stated to WHY as to the high prices here.
Is that, The refineries here, only or can refine Heavy Over Seas Crude!
Add, not last nights debate with the GOP. but the one before, Were I watch not last nights, Ads running saying or why We are buying now so high, at the pumps! IS FROM, Biden`s Whale lanes????? policy i take. BUT, we are able to send Oil out at a record pace. Just that Over sea`s oil can`t get in and or We got to buy more.
This is insane, why ?
Other, I like or respect Rex Tillerson, for his honesty.
But, should one make more in 30 minutes or one hour, than his labor force can make in one year? WHY, we can`t make end meet? Is there a wealth divide issue, more then just income issue. Those it go into policies, law, courts?
There is no doubt that the GOPe are anti-antitrust, but their influence is waining as Trump/MAGA gains ground. Over at the Conservative Treehouse (CTH) who follows such things, the GOP house is now 50/50 MAGA/GOPe, and it’s the GOPe reps who are retiring. Needless to point out, but the MAGA crowd despises Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Media and Wall St. Change is coming whether Trump wins or not.
"...that agenda should include overdue tax and regulatory reform, but it should go further and include antitrust enforcement against corporate monopolies.” A confusing agenda, indeed: "regulatory reform" is certain to cripple the administrative state, including the FTC, so from where will come the will and the power to take on the monopolists?
Jetblue-Spirit judge "has come to see himself as a central planner responsible for the airline industry instead of a judge upholding a fairly clear law." Such an important point. Antitrust exceptionalism run amok.
Lack of housing stock is a myth ginned up by - who? Developers. Tucson is a forest of for-rent signs like I haven't seen in six years. I have two apartments on the market in the mid-price range, I haven't had any calls in a month. The low end of the rental market was $400 - $450 for a one-bedroom when I arrived here in 2017, now the lowest available rental is $756 for a studio (one room), rentals are done 90% online, and you have to upload proof of income of 2.5 times the annual rent (around $32k annually) before the application form will let you proceed to the application. The minimum social security payment is $970-ish per month. The alternative is for taxpayers to subsidize the lowest end of the rental market (with purpose-built low-income housing currently priced at $400/sq ft in Tucson), so that institutional landlords and private equity companies can have a free hand with rent increases. I'm aware that the 'rational market' is supposed to work, and maybe absent money in politics it would work better than it does - but maybe not.
add, not totally a monopoly issue, or is it? by or from past consolidations?
Chase bank, OK, I read report-article, I say week ago. this IS NOT Same report tho.
THIS is, Just what I pulled up googling it now.
BUT, what got me on first reading this, WHY the hell is JP Morgan - chase bank getting over $260 Million from just ONE State. Over and suing for Lose "Subsidies" which is by defining Gov. funds.
Why is to me, one of the ones that made or help in the making of the Housing bust- issue, getting Gov. funds now in first place. but it was explained here as to WHY?
short to me, why the Hell in first place. is to me still in question, making of jobs,, lol
"The state Treasury Department had begun the process to blacklist JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the world, as well as Xerox and the American subsidiary of Tarkett, a major turf field supplier and flooring company, according to public records obtained by POLITICO through the Open Public Records Act. (Xerox has since divested from Russia and federal officials have encouraged JP Morgan to maintain a limited Russian presence as of November 2022, according to Bloomberg.)"
You don’t appoint Lina Khan, a person who was well known to be pro aggressive antitrust enforcement by accident. The ant-Biden nonsense that people put out is really over the top.
They used to call him "The Senator From MBNA".
Biden voted for NAFTA, which even I (in my 20s) knew meant offshoring manufacturing.
Biden also voted for Gramm-Leach-Blighly, destroying what was left of the New Deal.
But, I mean, if you ignore his voting record, sure, I see your point.
I am complimenting Biden as President. Definitely not Biden as Senator where he was just like Clinton/Rubin pro Wall Street crowd.
I would like to believe that you are right, but in 50+ years I have never seen a politician ever become less beholden to corporate interests.
Have you?
After all, the entire point of his presidency was to prevent Bernie from running and winning against Trump.
Refusing to hold Democrats accountable decades ago is why they are so awful today.
Yes. As a Senator, Biden was representing Delaware, which has a big credit card industry. As President, he represents the whole country. He's not intrinsically beholden to corporate interests, he's in a different job.
Politicians are not different from you and me.
In my opinion, politicians are different than you or me: what makes them different is that they seek power for its own sake.
To suggest otherwise would be to say that Biden went into government in order to change the system, which he has not.
Or rather, he has helped be part of the change for the worse, enriching himself and his family who sells access to him.
He's hardly unique - after all DC is littered with failchildren whose only career is capitalizing on their connections to what the Right Wing correctly calls The Swamp. Stopped clocks, and all.
I follow you, Matt, because real journalism, like your journalism, helps us hold those who seek power to account, and I thank you.
But surely you must realize that when the leadership of the less horrific party says that Congress should be able to enrich themselves with insider trading because capitalism, that we are in deep trouble.
Is there a message here other than "politicians bad"? This is a pragmatic place, so we celebrate the relative victories.
Maybe because he’s getting so old he had a conversion/awakening.
Biden went into Congress as a liberal, and whatever liberals in the USA means regarding business, he has been liberal on many things. He is older now, but I just think he is in a different position and there are different understandings. He is the first president to take on Reagenomics and for that I am grateful. Also, I am flying roundtrip with an expensive airline from Germany to USA this holiday season, and got the cheapest tickets I have had in about 20 years.
Well, if your plane tickets was less expensive, that definitely means we should ignore the plight of the people who can't afford plane tickets.
That 40% of Americans that are $400 away from financial catastrophe don't count, I guess.
Or the people dying of easily prevented diseases because Biden's entire Presidency exists for little other reason that to stop Bernie from taking a chunk out of the healthcare industry's profits.
I believe they call that "wishful thinking".
It is far more reasonable that you are being just as partisan as any Trump supporter who believes that the Orange One is going to take on corruption in DC.
The far more reasonable course of action, it seems to me, is to believe people when they tell you who they are.
Biden's been pretty clear about who he is.
TIP from a subscriber. Matt, thanks for your hard work and dedication. My wife and I have been Marriott timeshare owners since 1999. When we bought, we had a two-bedroom week at a resort that we could trade through Interval International where there were 2000 resorts to choose from. We could break our unit into a studio apartment and a one-bedroom apartment and get 2 weeks for the one week.
About a decade ago, Marriott stopped selling the timeshare weeks and came up with a points system ("Destination Points," "Trust Points"). For the same amount in maintenance fees, I could not stay one week in my home resort if I choose to convert my week to the new points, but I do have more flexibility in that I can choose any length of stay -- not just a week.
Now Marriott has bought the Interval International exchange and may be manipulating what happens to my week if I deposit it to benefit themselves. Also, they bought 3 of the 4 biggest competitor timeshare companies. They now own Hyatt, Sheraton, and Weston. They've also been buying hotel chains like crazy. Only Hilton (which bought the much smaller Diamond Resorts) is now offering any kind of competition to Marriott.
That's interesting, thanks.
I'm a passionate advocate for rent control/rent stabilization, opponent of private-equity intrusion into the housing market, and believer that the homeless crisis is 90% caused by the uncontrolled increase in rents, especially since Covid. Yesterday I was read online that "On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA-09) introduced the "End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act" in both chambers of Congress, seeking to push institutional investors out of the U.S. housing market.
The bill aims not only to ban "hedge funds" from amassing large portfolios of single-family homes but also to force them to sell off their portfolio. The bill would require “hedge funds” to “sell at least 10% of the total number of single-family homes they currently own to families per year over a 10-year period. After a 10-year full phase-out, all hedge funds will be completely banned from owning any single-family homes.” Did I read this on a news site? No. On the 'Housing is a Human Right' advocacy group email in my inbox? No. I read it on ResiClub <lance@resiclubanalytics.com> , an industry email that I somehow got signed up for because I own rental property. This seems like groundbreaking news to me, I haven't the slightest hope that this legislation will pass, but it's a start. There's also a ballot initiative on the November 2024 ballot in California to permit CA cities and municipalities to pass rent control/rent stabilization laws, which is currently illegal in 30 states (thanks to ALEC-drafted and promoted legislation, I suspect). Why isn't this bigger news?
Wouldn't finding ways to increase the housing stock be a better solution to this problem? The reason landlords can increase rents the way they do is because the limited amount of housing supply gives them the pricing power. With the increased rent levels, its not like a lot of these places are sitting empty.. the market is able to clear the price. Increase the housing supply and this clearing price will come down.
Building additional houses takes time.
Consider this a measure to ameliorate the current affordable housing problem.
TIP from a subscriber. Matt, thanks for your hard work and dedication. My wife and I have been Marriott timeshare owners since 1999. When we bought, we had two-bedroom week at a resort that we could trade through Interval International where there were 2000 resorts to choose from. We could break our unit into a studio apartment and a one-bedroom apartment and get 2 weeks for the one week.
About a decade ago, the stopped selling the timeshare weeks and cme up with a points system ("Destination Points," "Trust Points"). For the same amount in maintenance fees, I could not stay one week in my home resort if I choose to convert my week to the new points, but I do have more flexibility in that I can choose any length of stay -- not just a week.
Now Marriott has bought the Interval International exchange and may be manipulating what happens to my week if I deposit it to benefit themselves. Also, they bought 3 of the 4 biggest competitor timeshare companies. They now own Hyatt, Sheraton, and Weston. They've also been buying hotel chains like crazy. Only Hilton (which bought the much smaller Diamond Resorts) is now offering any kind of competition to Marriott.
I have said this before: the Democratic Establishment doesn't exist to govern - it exists to prevent anyone who is serious about reducing wealth inequality from ever holding office.
So it doesn't matter if they win - if they block anyone who might even consider bringing back some of the protections of the New Deal, they will be showered with donations when they are in office, and o̶u̶t̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶i̶b̶e̶s̶ generous speaking fees, book deals, and low stress/high pay sinecures when they get out of office.
Biden is almost certainly going to lose. It doesn't matter. If they switch to someone who isn't a complete corporate shill throwing crumbs at an increasingly angry and desperate electorate, they will lose their backing.
Once you start looking at them this way, their ineffectual and self-defeating actions are no longer confusing.
Biden is not almost certainly going to lose. See the election last month where the Democrats did very well across the country except Long Island. With regard to Trump, he was only in favor of antitrust actions against those companies who he believed snubbed him or he thought would play well for his base against elitist tech companies. Biden’s appointment of Lina Khan at the FTC and Jonathan Kanter in DOJ Anti-Trust Division are certainly excellent appointments. I love your Substack Matt but your sometimes ambivalence towards the Biden Administration antitrust efforts seems odd when they are the first administration in over 40 years to take antitrust seriously.
I think it's fairly safe to believe that the President formerly known as "The Senator From MBNA" has appointed a few good people more by accident than on purpose. The way Ryan Grim describes it, Liz Warren had a lot more to do with Khan/Kantor than Biden.
Biden is losing non-whites due his poor governance. Strangely, having rich white people tell you "Everything is great, you stupid, ungrateful idiot! Look at these numbers!" when you can't afford rent, food, and gas isn't working too well with people.
Biden is losing non-whites due his poor governance. Strangely, having rich white people tell you "Everything is great, you stupid, ungrateful idiot! Look at these numbers!" when you can't afford rent, food, and gas isn't working too well with people.
Hi Stanley,,, With thought, and to me needed, as to educate people. 1. Feds actions in some cases takes time, some!,lol. 1.B. we came out of a pandemic, just on that face and BIG issue was the supply change. Which have we worked out that end. It with EVEN fair, honest, ethics and some morality. You I am sure heard before, "do not let a Good Crisis, go to waste.
OK, point, I believe we have and are seeing, Those that "their" Constitution is greed.
How is it, and your right Stanley, we are seeing very high cost of living. those bank account and mounting credit card debt.
How is this?
Where we are having Great GDP#
Jobs increases
Wage increase even
All those, number Spelled, in past was great economy!
In past, decades ago, We had to have a strong dollar, and at same time, keep up with have trade going out VS Us in the USA having coming in.
Why, the change and or why it isn't working for the Middle class.?
answer is simple to these judges, its about Supply and Demand issue.
Once and i can show, where big Oil and has already done this and doing it. to US the people.
Cut the supply end, thus raising cost.
Matt show this when I joined here over a report, he made on Meat industry.
Where and yeah, buy the guy and the So called expert Analysis on this sh*t.
screwing number or hiding Facts to their own report.
Just like in 2008-07, where we had $147 a barrow oil. It was all bull shit on a report that we Globally was using 1% more then able to Produce Globally. A lie, on the fact, NO it was the productors end of Cutting supply.
BUT, NO, news was, it was the Futures - CME- Speculators fault. So, push was being made to end future trading. I feared that, WHY, for it was the Speculators that would bring it down again. ONCE, it was shown BS. Thus, we had USA Oil,, once it came down. and gasoline was still high though. WHY, they said, "Well even when Oil- crude was down to $35 a barrow. they just could not produce the Gasoline fast enough. LIE, they shut down oil lines and refineries.
As to, WHY, the hell, someone thought, it was a good idea. To invest and move day to day products over Seas thus shipped back here, is just mind-boggling.
Stupid math and or mostly very costly in long run.
Wall street middle men, Ownership of all, will end and we`re seeing it, unfloding, End the middle class, And lead to power by means of I have the supply end. What you can do now? Eat what I feel like giving you. or die.
My name is NoBody, (1vs160)
P.S. how Ya`ll feel, as to CEO making 400 M$ a year. thats what Rex Tillerson was making at Exxon Moble. in 2008. We he stated as to congress House side as to WHY. Gasoline is so high with $35 crude. But on Senate side it was all about killing Future trading. He stated Rex, they shutt down refineries for profit.
BUT, see if you can fine it. its gone from You tube, but you`ll get the Senate side story- hearings, thats there.
I wanted to add, on Big Oil. With, why we still have high gasoline prices? At same time exporting more Oil then anybody on the globe, Now.
Oil Companies stated to WHY as to the high prices here.
Is that, The refineries here, only or can refine Heavy Over Seas Crude!
Add, not last nights debate with the GOP. but the one before, Were I watch not last nights, Ads running saying or why We are buying now so high, at the pumps! IS FROM, Biden`s Whale lanes????? policy i take. BUT, we are able to send Oil out at a record pace. Just that Over sea`s oil can`t get in and or We got to buy more.
This is insane, why ?
Other, I like or respect Rex Tillerson, for his honesty.
But, should one make more in 30 minutes or one hour, than his labor force can make in one year? WHY, we can`t make end meet? Is there a wealth divide issue, more then just income issue. Those it go into policies, law, courts?
Even a nation threat ?
There is no doubt that the GOPe are anti-antitrust, but their influence is waining as Trump/MAGA gains ground. Over at the Conservative Treehouse (CTH) who follows such things, the GOP house is now 50/50 MAGA/GOPe, and it’s the GOPe reps who are retiring. Needless to point out, but the MAGA crowd despises Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Media and Wall St. Change is coming whether Trump wins or not.
"...that agenda should include overdue tax and regulatory reform, but it should go further and include antitrust enforcement against corporate monopolies.” A confusing agenda, indeed: "regulatory reform" is certain to cripple the administrative state, including the FTC, so from where will come the will and the power to take on the monopolists?
Jetblue-Spirit judge "has come to see himself as a central planner responsible for the airline industry instead of a judge upholding a fairly clear law." Such an important point. Antitrust exceptionalism run amok.
Lack of housing stock is a myth ginned up by - who? Developers. Tucson is a forest of for-rent signs like I haven't seen in six years. I have two apartments on the market in the mid-price range, I haven't had any calls in a month. The low end of the rental market was $400 - $450 for a one-bedroom when I arrived here in 2017, now the lowest available rental is $756 for a studio (one room), rentals are done 90% online, and you have to upload proof of income of 2.5 times the annual rent (around $32k annually) before the application form will let you proceed to the application. The minimum social security payment is $970-ish per month. The alternative is for taxpayers to subsidize the lowest end of the rental market (with purpose-built low-income housing currently priced at $400/sq ft in Tucson), so that institutional landlords and private equity companies can have a free hand with rent increases. I'm aware that the 'rational market' is supposed to work, and maybe absent money in politics it would work better than it does - but maybe not.
add, not totally a monopoly issue, or is it? by or from past consolidations?
Chase bank, OK, I read report-article, I say week ago. this IS NOT Same report tho.
THIS is, Just what I pulled up googling it now.
BUT, what got me on first reading this, WHY the hell is JP Morgan - chase bank getting over $260 Million from just ONE State. Over and suing for Lose "Subsidies" which is by defining Gov. funds.
Why is to me, one of the ones that made or help in the making of the Housing bust- issue, getting Gov. funds now in first place. but it was explained here as to WHY?
short to me, why the Hell in first place. is to me still in question, making of jobs,, lol
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/23/new-jersey-jp-morgan-russia-00128528
From article here:
"The state Treasury Department had begun the process to blacklist JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the world, as well as Xerox and the American subsidiary of Tarkett, a major turf field supplier and flooring company, according to public records obtained by POLITICO through the Open Public Records Act. (Xerox has since divested from Russia and federal officials have encouraged JP Morgan to maintain a limited Russian presence as of November 2022, according to Bloomberg.)"