NYSE Euronext purchase ‘would have been blocked’

THE US Department of Justice says that it would have sued to block NYSE Euronext’s purchase by Nasdaq OMX Group and Intercontinental Exchange, saying a deal might curb competition in the world’s biggest stock market.

Nasdaq OMX and ICE withdrew their unsolicited offer yesterday, removing an obstacle for Deutsche Boerse to complete its purchase of NYSE Euronext.

Anti-trust regulators said that a combined NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX would have eliminated competition in US corporate listings, auctions at the open and close of the daily trading session, reporting of off-exchange trading and real-time data feeds.