From 1897 – 1904
During this period merger took place between the firms which were anti-competition and enjoyed their dominance in the market according to their productivity in sectors like electricity, railways, etc. Most of the mergers during this period were horizontal in nature and occurred between the steel, metal and construction industries.
From 1903 – 1905
Most of the mergers which took place during the first phase were considered as unsuccessful for not being efficient enough to attain the required competence. The crash was stimulated by the decelerating of the world's financial system in 1903, which was followed by a stock market collapse in 1904. During this phase the authorized structure was not encouraging either. Later the apex judiciary body issued its directive on the anti-competitive mergers stating that they could be de-merged by implementing the Sherman Act.