The judge sided with Federal Trade Commission... Staples Inc. executives gambled they could navigate a tough retail market by gobbling up their closest rival. Shares of Staples and Office Depot Inc. tumbled Wednesday after a federal judge ruled against a combination that would have created a company with $36 billion in annual revenue and 3,600 stores. Now that the bet has backfired, the office-supply chain must shrink to survive.

Source: Wall Street Journal May 11, 2016 15:46 UTC