SHARE
COPY LINK

STOCKS

Hope dwindles for NYSE- Deutsche Börse merger

The proposed merger of Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext, which would create the world's largest market operator worth over $17 billion (€13 billion) is in trouble, a senior executive was reported as saying on Thursday.

Hope dwindles for NYSE- Deutsche Börse merger
Photo: DPA

NYSE Euronext chief executive Duncan Niederauer told the Financial Times there was only a “glimmer of hope” the deal would be approved by European competition authorities.

The newspaper’s website quoted Niederauer as acknowledging he had “misjudged” the approach taken by European Union antitrust authorities to the deal.

With the EU authorities setting out conditions that executives negotiating a deal could not accept, a tie-up looked almost certain to fall apart. A decision by the EU’s executive commission is due on February 1.

EU competition authorities opened a probe into the deal in August over concerns that the merged company would control 90 percent of the European derivatives market.

In November the companies proposed to separate some of their derivatives operations to allay EU concerns, but sources said the EU Commission was unsatisfied.

The proposed merger has also sparked controversy in the United States because it would hand over the New York Stock Exchange to foreign owners. A deal would see Deutsche Börse shareholders own 60 percent of the new combined, Netherlands-incorporated firm.

AFP/mry

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

FRANKFURT

Emergency numbers fail in several German states

Callers to the emergency numbers 110 and 112 weren’t able to reach operators Thursday morning in several German states.

The 112 emergency number on an ambulance.
The 112 emergency number on an ambulance. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

The emergency number 110 for police and 112 for fire crews failed around the country early Thursday morning, with callers unable to reach emergency operators for urgent assistance between about 4:30 am and 5:40 am local time.

The Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid is looking into these outages, which were reported in states including Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, and  Brandenburg, and in major cities like Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, and Frankfurt. Cologne was further affected by cuts to electricity, drinking water, and regular telephone services. Lower Saxony also saw disruptions to the internal phone networks of police and hospitals.

Emergency services are not reporting any more disturbances and people should be able to once again reach 110 and 112 around the country as normal.

Investigators are looking into the problem, but haven’t yet established a cause or any consequences that may have happened due to the outage. Provider Deutsche Telekom says they have ruled out the possibility of an attack by hackers.

SHOW COMMENTS