Not all of the companies are banks, but even if they were, it is nonetheless a shocking degree of centralized control. It isn't just that these companies have l

Not all of the companies are banks, but even if they were, it is nonetheless a shocking degree of centralized control. It isn't just that these companies have large stakes in other companies, but that they all have large stakes in each other. Consequently, there is a lack of effective oversight by independent shareholders, not to mention the obvious opportunity and incentives for anti-competitive collusion. And the study wasn't conducted by wild-eyed conspiracy theorists, but by a group of Swiss economists. For a more scientific take on the study, see http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/333389/title/Financial_world_dominated_by_a_few_deep_pockets http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/333389/title/Fina... .