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CRAIG DONOHUE, CHIEF executive of CME Group, is surprisingly calm as he speaks to Euromoney in his office on South Wacker Drive in Chicago. That day press reports emerge of Nasdaq preparing for a counter-bid for NYSE Euronext, with rumours circulating of a tie-up with the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) to do so. Exchange merger frenzy is in full flow. Since the start of the year Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext have announced talks to join up to form the world’s largest exchange. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TMX Group) have announced plans to merge. US-based Bats Global Markets has bid for fellow private venue operator Chi-X Europe. The head of Vienna’s exchange, the Wiener Börse, has said he is looking to merge with exchanges in central and eastern Europe. In Russia, Moscow’s two largest exchanges, Micex and RTS, are in talks to merge. And the Singapore Exchange is still in talks with the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) after making a bid for it last year.
Donohue seems unperturbed by all this activity. "Are we under pressure to consolidate further? That’s not the way we are managing our business strategy," he says.
