TAM/LAN MERGER BLOCKED? AND WATCH OIL

There are multiple reports coming from within Chile that top antitrust authorities have suspended the merger between Chilean airline LAN and Brazilian airline TAM. The daily newspaper La Tercera has reported that the five members of the Court for the Defense of Free Competition agreed to suspend the merger while they determine whether it complies with antitrust regulations. The newspaper reported over the weekend that the decision was issued on Friday, based on a petition submitted by the private National Consumer Corporation. Corporation president Hernan Calderon told radio Cooperativa on Saturday that “we value the court’s ruling.” This news, if