Deutsche Boerse AG (DB1Gn.DE) and NYSE Euronext (NYX.N) said on Wednesday they received from European Union antitrust regulators a formal "statement of objections" against their planned $9 billion merger. The pair called it a normal step that "does not prejudge the final outcome," as antitrust regulators decide whether to allow the creation of what would be the world's largest exchange operator. The deal "provides substantial capital and cost savings to users; advances the goal of a unified, liquid EU capital market for raising money and managing risk; and does not materially alter the competitive landscape," the companies said in a statement. Deutsche Boerse agreed in February to purchase the New York Stock Exchange parent, and shareholders of the two companies backed the deal in July. The combined company would have a near monopoly on exchange-based futures trading in Europe.
NYSE Euronext is a global operator of financial markets and provider of trading technologies. Shares of NYX traded higher by 1.79% or $0.42/share to $23.93. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $21.80 and as high as $41.60. On average, 3976100 shares of NYX exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 2938427.
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