Lina Khan's FTC policies are negatively impacting investor portfolios, according to Jim Cramer.

Lina Khan's FTC policies are negatively impacting investor portfolios, according to Jim Cramer.
Lina Khan's FTC policies are negatively impacting investor portfolios, according to Jim Cramer.
  • Lina Khan's efforts to block mergers and acquisitions have made it so that only companies with significant financial resources can consider them.
  • Cramer stated that Lina Khan's opposition to corporate consolidation has resulted in a situation where only the largest and wealthiest companies can afford the litigation that accompanies acquisitions.
FTC Chair Kahn has been a one woman wrecking crew for your stock portfolio, says Jim Cramer

Lina Khan's efforts to block mergers and acquisitions are negatively impacting stock portfolios, according to CNBC's Jim Cramer.

Khan's FTC has prevented many potential mergers, resulting in lower stock valuations, as seen in the Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal. Cramer stated this on Monday, adding that Khan has been a detrimental force to stock portfolios despite the overall positive performance of stocks without deals.

Cramer highlighted the premium that is being paid for U.S. Steel, which was agreed upon by the two parties on Monday. The buyer is offering a price of $55 per share for the company, which closed at $39 on Friday.

Cramer believes that Wall Street is undervaluing the price of U.S. Steel due to the excessive focus on interest rates.

Cramer stated that this is one of several possible mergers and acquisitions across various sectors that could increase competition.

Cramer emphasized the importance of scale in the retail industry, stating that if smaller companies are not allowed to grow through acquisitions like , Walgreens will become weak and Rite Aid will go bankrupt. He pointed out that this scenario results in a dominant player that dominates the entire category. Despite this, the topic of scale in the retail industry is often overlooked.

Cramer stated that theoretical mergers between health-care and food companies could increase their industry's competitiveness.

Khan and the FTC tried to prevent the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard and Horizon Therapeutics, but Cramer believes that the companies' legal teams and bureaucratic red tape allowed them to succeed, resulting in the opposite of Khan's desired outcome.

Lina Khan's efforts to halt corporate consolidation have resulted in a situation where only the largest and wealthiest companies can afford the litigation that accompanies acquisitions, as stated.

Cramer opposes more airline consolidation, stating that it has occurred excessively and harmed consumers.

Watch Monday's full episode of Mad Money with Jim Cramer — December 18, 2023

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by Jake Piazza

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