What Every Multinational Company Should Know About … Potential Antitrust Exposure Of Tariff-Related Pricing Changes

As companies face mounting cost and supply pressures from rising tariffs, pricing managers are under growing pressure to adjust pricing strategies in fast-moving and uncertain conditions. As recently reported by the Wall Street Journal, companies have employed various strategies to deal with increased costs, with 47% of small businesses reporting they already have increased prices in 2025 and 60% indicating they plan to do so in the next three months.

Gathering timely and accurate market intelligence is often a critical component of informed decision making when it comes to developing a sound pricing strategy. Many such efforts are legitimate and should not draw scrutiny from enforcement officials. U.S. antitrust regulators, however, have made clear that tariff-related uncertainty is no excuse for crossing competitive boundaries. Further, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other global authorities are actively scrutinizing whether businesses are using trade