U.S. securities regulators approved a plan by NYSE Euronext (NYX.N) to sell more than half of its Amex options market to a group of banks and others including Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and hedge fund Citadel. The seven Wall Street firms would get a 53 percent common stake in NYSE Amex, with no one holding more than 20 percent, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a June 24 notice on its website. Though the plan has been in the works since 2009, the New York Stock Exchange parent formally requested permission for the rule change in March, and it has already attracted more orders from members of the joint venture. The former American Stock Exchange had 13 percent of U.S. options trading last month, up from 10 percent a year earlier, according to OCC data.
NYSE Euronext is a global operator of financial markets and provider of trading technologies. Shares of NYX traded higher by 1.53% or $0.51/share to $33.75. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $26.58 and as high as $41.60. On average, 4774910 shares of NYX exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 568900.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (Goldman Sachs) is a bank holding and a financial holding company. Shares of GS traded higher by 1.24% or $1.6005/share to $130.86. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $128.30 and as high as $175.34. On average, 5927480 shares of GS exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 1941964.
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