Nasdaq Stock Market Inc.’s Chief Executive Bob Greifeld Wednesday stood firmly by his decision to pursue the London Stock Exchange as archrival the NYSE Group seeks to take over pan-European stock exchange operator Euronext.
Greifeld, outlining advances his market has made against the larger New York Stock Exchange in the past year, said Nasdaq had paid a premium to buy 25.1 percent of shares in the LSE but this was to create a blocking stake.
“We are very comfortable with our position. What we know for sure is that London was our first and only choice with respect to European consolidation,” he told reporters after speaking at a securities conference in New York.
“It’s the move that we chose to make. We made it. We know the reasons why we made it — because we are focused on the cash equities marketplace.”
Greifeld said he had not yet met with LSE’s CEO Clara Furse but expected to, although he was uncertain of when a meeting would take place.