We use a classroom game, the Wallet Game, to show that slight asymmetries between bidders can have very large effects on prices in standard ascending (i.e. English) auctions of common-values objects. Examples of small asymmetries are a small value advantage for one bidder or a small ownership of...

We analyze an oligopolistic market where a domestic and a foreign firm are engaged in a takeover battle for a domestic competitor. Any merger or acquisition (M&A) must be approved by a welfare maximizing domestic competition agency which may or may not be prone to "economic patriotism". A...

This study analyses the wealth effects related to Merger and Acquisition (M&A) announcements in the Canadian financial services industry. This study more broadly portrays the Canadian M&A experience in examining a sample of 161 M&A deals from 1997 to 2000. Overall, M&A is related to significant...

Part ownership of a takeover target can help a bidder win a takeover auction, often at a low price. A bidder with a ``toehold'' bids aggressively in a standard ascending auction because its offers are both bids for the remaining shares and asks for its own holdings. While the direct effect of a...

This study analyses the wealth effects related to Merger and Acquisition (M&A) announcements in the Canadian financial services industry. This study more broadly portrays the Canadian M&A experience in examining a sample of 161 M&A deals from 1997 to 2000. Overall, M&A is related to significant...