Research questions prompted by observed changes in competition data. Each question identifies an empirical approach, evidence needs, and what current observations cannot establish.
Question field / domain × method
Where the public research program is concentrated46 source-custodied questions across 5 evidence systems and 7 declared methods.
Research questions
46
signal-derived
Declared methods
7
metric-specific
Source records
12
current custody
Evidence requests
184
work to collect
Observed signalExact metric, anchors, interval, unit, and universe remain attached.
Bounded questionThe monitor question is preserved verbatim and never converted into a verdict.
Evidence requestDeclared collection work is separated from evidence already in custody.
Move from an observed change to a testable research program
Questions stay in published signal order. Methods and evidence requests are declared; no priority score is calculated.
Questions shown
46
of 46 published
Entities
32
exact signal subjects
Methods
7
of 7 declared
Source records
12
unique custody rows
Evidence requests
184
work items, not findings
Published questions46 / 46
Q45 / Federal merger activityReview process context
How did transaction mix, clearance, adjusted denominators, and agency review practice change alongside the observed rate?
Hart-Scott-Rodino program / Second Request rate
FY20243.0%
-0.90 pp1 year
FY20252.1%
Observed signal
Second Request rate moved from 3.0% in FY2024 to 2.1% in FY2025 (-0.90 percentage points).Latest reported federal fiscal year versus the immediately preceding fiscal year in the same HSR annual report series.
Bounded interpretation
The latest reported review rate is lower than the prior fiscal year. This is a program-activity comparison, not a finding about merger harm or enforcement effectiveness.Second Requests and public enforcement actions are different stages with different timing rules. Their counts must not be treated as a finding that every reviewed or reported transaction was anticompetitive.Empirical trackReview process context
Test whether transaction mix, clearance, adjusted denominators, or agency practice moved alongside the review rate.
Evidence base
10 annual records / FY2016-FY2025
Status
verified / high confidence
Declared empirical tracks
7 methods, each tied to a published metric family
The method register makes the work program inspectable while leaving research importance and enforcement merit unranked.
01Market mechanism
Test entry, exit, switching, price, quality, capacity, and share pathways inside the declared market boundary.
6 questions / market-hhi
02Share accounting
Reconstruct participant-share movement while checking denominator, coverage, entry, exit, and transaction changes.
9 questions / market-cr4, market-leader-share
03Industry disaggregation
Trace a sector median back to strict six-digit Census rows before proposing a product or geographic market study.
17 questions / industry-median-hhi
04Geographic structure
Reconcile national and nested geographic concentration summaries with area-level distributions, provider or ownership paths, measurement boundaries, and local-market evidence.