But there are questions about whether this symbiotic relationship can continue to thrive, said Scott Cleland, chief executive of the Precursor Group, a research firm.

"This is a very deregulatory decision, and goes farther than pending legislation," said Scott Cleland, an analyst at the Precursor Group.

Scott Cleland, founder of the Precursor Group, an independent communications research firm in Washington, took a similar view.

"The magnitude of the problem is enormous," said Scott Cleland, chief executive of the Precursor Group, a Washington research firm.

"They are quiet and steady," said Scott Cleland, an analyst at the Precursor Group.

The Precursor Group, for example, refuses to hire analysts who have worked at the big Wall Street firms.

"Additional consolidation here is natural and necessary," said Scott Cleland, chief executive of the Precursor Group, a communications research firm in Washington.

"This is a short-term reprieve," said Scott Cleland, an analyst at the Precursor Group in Washington.

"The only thing that the market valued was the stock price," said Scott Cleland, chief executive of the Precursor Group, a Washington research firm.

"A Fortune 500 shrinking 15 percent a year is not natural," said Scott Cleland, an analyst at the Precursor Group.