Antitrust investigations by the Department of Justice have declined, from a high of 593 investigations in 1971 to 100 in 2017. Since the earliest year of data available, there have been two periods of significant antitrust activities - the early 1970s and late 1990s.
Antitrust actions in the United States are based on the idea that a competitive marketplace leads to the best results for consumers. Government actions limit concentration within industries to encourage competition and police other anti-competitive behavior. Examples of anti-competitive behavior include price fixing, where companies all agree to sell at a higher price and bid rigging, where competing companies agree who will win a bid in advance, allowing that company to charge a higher price.
