Merger talks to create world's largest exchange group inconclusive

08 December 2008

Merger talks to create the world's largest stock exchange group between the German stock exchange operator, Deutsche Boerse and its New York rival, NYSE Euronext, which runs the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, have ended without any conclusion.

German magazine, Der Spiegel citing inside sources had said that the US and German exchange operators were planning to merge, which would enable them to control the stock exchanges in Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam and New York.

NYSE, the operator of Wall Street's, New York Stock Exchange had merged with Euronext last year, the operator who runs the exchanges in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Lisbon, to become the world's biggest exchange operator of financial markets.

Deutsche Boerse is the world's sixth largest exchange operator and runs the Frankfurt stock exchange as well as the derivatives exchange, Eurex and settlement and custody house, Clearstream.

Boerse had earlier failed in its attempt to merge with Euronext and it also made a blotched attempt to take over Europe's biggest stock market, the London Stock Exchange, which made the chairman and chief executive of Boerse to resign at the insistence of the shareholders.

In a statement put out last night, Börse said ''If such talks were held with NYSE, they have ended without any result'' and added that it was ''constantly evaluating a multitude of options... which naturally includes regular contacts with various potential partners.''