The New York Stock Exchange is seen February 9, 2011.ERIC THAYER/Reuters
Another of the big wave of exchange mergers looks set to founder on the shoals of competition regulation, as reports are coming out saying that European policy makers are going to block the planned merger of NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse.
The Financial Times reported the story here and Fox Business News reporter Charles Gasparino tweeted a few minutes ago that "EU regulators officially Nix NYSE Deutsche Boerse deal; NYSE to appeal to EU commissioners NYSE informed today."
The FT said that the issue was concentration in derivatives.
This block follows the U.S. Justice Department's decision to block Nasdaq's attempt to buy NYSE Euronext earlier this year.
Of course, this all comes as Canadian competition regulators look at a plan by Maple Group to buy this country's biggest exchange company, TMX Group Inc. , and merge it with the second largest stock market operator, Alpha Group, and with the country's main stock clearinghouse, CDS Inc.
Canada's competition regulator has signalled it has concerns with aspects of the deal.