The FTC cleared Hoechst’s acquisition of Celanese.

The Federal Trade Commission blocked the deal on Jan. 15, contending that the acquisition as originally proposed would substantially have lessened competition in the production of polyester textile fiber in this country. Following American Hoechst Corp.’s promise to sell a variety of assets to ease government antitrust concerns, the FTC cleared the way for Hoechst, a wholly owned unit of the West German Hoechst AG, to complete its $2.8-billion takeover of New York-based Celanese Corp.