Nasdaq and ICE sweeten NYSE bid

NYSE, Nasdaq, ICENasdaq OMX and InterContinentalExchange are trying to entice the NYSE with a $350 million reverse termination fee By Aaron Smith, staff writer


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Nasdaq OMX Group and IntercontinentalExchange have added a $350 million "reverse termination fee" to sweeten their $11.3 billion bid for the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange.

The fee comes on top of a deal that Nasdaq-ICE say is already "superior by a significant and inescapable margin" to the $10 billion offer from Germany's Deutsche Boerse.

"Our actions today demonstrate our commitment to pursuing this transaction and further illustrate exactly how our proposal is superior," said Nasdaq (NDAQ) Chief Executive Robert Greifield, in a statement.

The offer from Nasdaq and IntercontinentalExchange, also known as ICE (ICE), is valued at $42.67 per NYSE share. That works out to a 21% premium, or $2 billion more than Deutsche Boerse's $35.29-a-share offer.

NYSE had already agreed to the Deutsche Boerse deal in February. The combined company would become the world's largest exchange for stocks and derivatives.

Under the Nasdaq-ICE deal, Nasdaq would get the stock and options exchanges, with ICE taking over NYSE's stocks and derivatives business. NYSE rejected the Nasdaq-ICE deal earlier this month.

At the time of the rejection, NYSE Euronext chairman Jan-Michiel Hessels said that "breaking up NYSE Euronext, burdening the pieces with high levels of debt, and destroying its invaluable human capital, would be a strategic mistake in terms of where the global markets are going."

NYSE Euronext (NYX, Fortune 500) released a statement confirming that they had received the new offer and "will review it in due course." To top of page

Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Overnight Avg Rate Latest Change Last Week
30 yr fixed3.80%3.80%
15 yr fixed3.09%3.11%
5/1 ARM2.65%2.69%
30 yr refi3.77%3.86%
15 yr refi3.09%3.21%
Rate data provided
by Bankrate.com
View rates in your area
 
Find personalized rates:
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 12,454.83 -74.92 -0.60%
Nasdaq 2,837.53 -1.85 -0.07%
S&P 500 1,317.82 -2.86 -0.22%
Treasuries 1.74 -0.01 -0.80%
Data as of 2:43pm ET
Company Price Change % Change
Bank of America Corp... 7.15 0.01 0.14%
Sprint Nextel Corp 2.62 0.09 3.56%
Cisco Systems Inc 16.33 -0.06 -0.37%
Chesapeake Energy Co... 15.81 0.23 1.48%
Ford Motor Co 10.60 0.01 0.09%
Data as of May 25

Sections

The Senate hearing will focus JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading loss, which Dimon announced earlier this month. More

The offer for mail handlers is part of the Postal Service's plan to cut 150,000 jobs by 2015. More

In the whirlwind of its IPO fallout, there has been a sort of glee in watching the company stumble. What's driving the Facebook-schadenfreude and what can the social network do about it? More

One in six children in the United States is obese. These small businesses have found creative -- and lucrative -- ways to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. More

In Harper County, Kansas, oil companies are offering farmers up to $1,250 an acre for the mineral rights that allow them to drill for oil on their property. More

Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2012 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.