This note shows that the profitability of a merger between a leader and a follower in a Stackelberg market crucially depends on the degree of collusion among leaders. When leaders cut production in order to raise the price, followers have lower incentives to merge with the leaders since by...

We analyze risk taking behavior of banks in the context of spatial competition. Banks mobilize unsecured deposits by offering deposit rates, which they invest either in a prudent or a gambling asset. Limited liability along with high return of a successful gamble induce moral hazard at the bank...