Econintersect: With all the global merger and acquisition activities and rumors involving many of the world’s largest stock exchanges, the NASDAQ OMX exchange has often seemed to be an overlooked stepsister in a family of glamorous women with many suitors. Today, there have been several news stories discussing the possible options and rumors for the NASDAQ OMX exchange. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the NASDAQ OMX is considereing forming a partnership with the CME (Chicago Merchantile Exchange) and the ICE (International Commodity Exchange) to make a competing bid for the NYSE Euronext exchange. NYSE Euronext is in the process of completing a $10 billion takeover by Frankfurt’s Deutsche Börse.Other mergers in the news recently include:
- LSE (London Stock Exchange) purchase of TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange). LSE has previously bought the Italian bourse. (See GEI News.)
- The SGX (Sinagapore stock exchange) purchase of the ASX (Australian stock exchange). (See GEI News here and here.)
- The search of HKEx (Hong Kong stock exchange) for possible partnerships. (See GEI News here and here.)
- The merger of electronic exchanges BATS Global Markets, the Kansas City exchange operator, and Chi-X Europe, prime electronic rival to the LSE. (See GEI News.)
- The cross listing agreement between the Brazil and Shanghai exchanges. (See GEI News.)
All these activities are not without difficulties. A list today (February 23) in Wall Street & Technology gives a current summary:
- Nasdaq exploring alternatives amid merger frenzy-source
- LSE chief sees 3 to 4 global exchange groups in 5 years
- TMX chief: Canada should consider free-trade issues
- TMX chief takes political opposition “very seriously”
The following table from Securities Technology Monitor summarizes the Euro-centric view of the stock exchange (bourse) world:
Sources: Wall Street & Technology, Wall Street Journal, Securities Technology Monitor and GEI News (links in the article)
