AEROSPACE

FTC Approves Lockheed-Loral Merger: The Federal Trade Commission approved the $9.1-billion merger of defense giants Lockheed Martin Corp. and Loral Corp. The unanimous approval came hours after the Pentagon released a letter endorsing the deal and saying it would have little effect on the government’s ability to buy weapons from competing sources. The deal amounts to a settlement of charges filed earlier by the FTC that the deal would violate antitrust laws by reducing competition in several weapons and high-technology markets. Under the deal, expected to be finalized Monday, suburban Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin, the largest and most diverse U.S. military contractor, will buy most of New York-based Loral, a leading maker of defense and aerospace electronics and computer systems. On the New York Stock Exchange, Lockheed Martin dipped 75 cents to $74.875; Loral slid 75 cents to $50.25.