With U.S. government pressure on the merger confirmed, oilfield services companies Baker Hughes and Halliburton said complaints were counterproductive. Rumors surfaced earlier this week the U.S. Justice Department would follow its European counterparts in challenging the proposed merger of the two companies because of concerns about market competition . The two companies are the No. 2 and No. 3 in terms of market share, behind Schlumberger. Bill Baer, the U.S. assistant attorney general, said the planned merger would consolidate the services sector into the hands of only a very few companies. “This transaction is unprecedented in the breadth and scope of competitive overlaps and antitrust issues it presents,” he said in a statement. Halliburton […]