Analyst:NASDAQ Exchange May Be Acquired By Asians

Ed Ditmire,Capital Markets Analyst at Macquarie Group Limited,thinks the NASDAQ/OMX Group,the Times Square-based stock exchange,is characterized by efficiency and lower growth,with an equity emphasis.It is pressured by the forthcoming merger of Deutsche Boerse-NYSE/Euronext,but seems to be more of a target than an acquirer.
A large Asian exchange such as Hong Kong may go after NASDAQ/OMX.After all,Hong Kong uses the NASDAQ trading system.
Mr.Ditmire is very positive on the stock exchange sector.There are better business trends now,with more mergers and acquisitions.It's hard to rule out any deal as having no merit.
NASDAQ/OMX is reportedly considering a range of options to respond to the NYSE deal,from launching a rival bid for NYSE with a partner,to buying another exchange,as well as possibly selling itself.The company fears being marginalised.
Macquarie Group Limited is a full service financial firm with 15,500 employees.It is based in Sydney,Australia and has 300 billion dollars under management.
Macquarie Group Limited(MQG),NASDAQ/OMX Group(NDAQ)

NYSE/Euronext Sells Indian Stake

NYSE/Euronext has sold its 5% stake in the National Stock Exchange of India to Temasek,a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund,for 150 to 180 million dollars.The stake is part of a growing trend of foreign investment in robustly-growing India.India's central bank said the economy will grow at least 8% in the current fiscal year,which began April 1.
The National Stock Exchange has 1470 listed companies,with a combined market capitalization of about 1.3 trillion dollars as of March 1.NYSE/Euronext had purchased the stake in NSE in January 2007.At the same time,Goldman Sachs had purchased its own 5% of the Indian exchange.
Wisdom Tree Investments offers an India exchange traded fund,EPI,which includes 126 profitable companies,according to the firm.It is a fundamentally weighted fund,meaning allocation to the holdings is determined by their success.

Debriefing From Davos

Attending the recent World Economic Forum in Davos,Switzerland,Duncan Niederauer,CEO of NYSE/Euronext,shared some of what he learned there.He said he was taking away from Davos that companies' futures are improving.The worst is definitely behind us,but people are still saying are we doing the right things collectively and collaboratively.In the meetings I've been in,Mr.Niederauer recalled,I said it's key to get the financial leaders and the regulators together.Then you can put the foundations together for a healthy economic recovery.Separating banks' proprietary trading from customer activities is virtually impossible,in my opinion.
Mr.Niederauer,who wears an "autism speaks" lapel pin,sees robust initial public offerings at NYSE over the next six months.

Niederauer Tours Asia

Duncan Niederauer,CEO of NYSE/Euronext,has been touring Asia recently.He found China to be pretty optimistic.Visiting Beijing and Shanghai,he saw plenty of evidence of China's stimulus at work,he said.They're gonna leave no stone unturned for the Shanghai Expo,Mr.Niederauer observed.
Mr.Niederauer also spent a lot of time in India.What sets India apart is a lot more domestic demand,he noted.I think India can weather the storm because of the domestic demand that's so inherent,while China is trying to build up areas away from the coast.They're exploring opening up their market,allowing initial public offerings.I think they're gonna go step by step,being very conservative,the NYSE/Euronext executive remarked.