alt Hacker NewsFinancials aren't like technology or IP where having the information open to all (perhaps with limited monopolies on usage a la patents) is essentially for the betterment of all mankind, they can be more like order of battle in a war zone.
If your competitors know that your Florida subsidiary is running inefficiently and being subsidized by your successful business elsewhere, they can target their own operations in Florida, undercut you more than you can possibly sustain, force you to exit that market entirely, so that they can monopolize there.
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Isn't this exactly what we should want from a market system? If your division in Florida is inefficient, then from the market perspective we should absolutely want competitors to enter the market and crush them.
I think the problem is that people have gotten so used to seeing capitalism from the companies' perspective (i.e.: profits good), and forgot that it is supposed to be all about the collective good. So if you think sustained high profits are good... then you have missed the whole point (the market should always be driving them towards near-zero).
Sure, but others can also do that to your competitor. Hence my comment that everyone's in the same boat. The playing field would be level and the players would adapt to the new environment.
Of course I realize it's possible it might introduce systemic problems that I'm unaware of.