EU blocks "near-monopoly" of D.Boerse-NYSE merger
(Reuters) - European Union regulators have blocked the merger of exchange operators Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext to avoid giving them a stranglehold on the European futures market.
Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext, which unveiled the plan to create the world's biggest stock exchange as long ago as February last year, said they would now unwind the deal, the sector's fourth failed tie-up attempt in a year.
The European Commission said on Wednesday that the combined entity would make it hard for new players to compete.
"The merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide," EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/uk-deutscheboerse-nyse-merger-idUKTRE8100P720120201
