Nasdaq OMX Group, Inc “held discussions with private equity firm Carlyle Group about taking the stock exchange private” about three weeks ago, according to an exclusive report from FOX Business Network (FBN) Senior Correspondent Charlie Gasparino. Gaparino also says, “It’s unclear which side initiated the talks,” but that they were prompted by “heightened competition” and that Carlyle Group LP (NYSE:CG) Chief Financial Officer Adena Friedman is a “key player in the negotiations.”
More details on the talks below:
On the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NADAQ:NDAQ) being in discussions with The Carlyle Group to go private:
“NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NADAQ:NDAQ) recently held discussions with private equity firm Carlyle Group about taking the stock exchange private, just months after its main rival, the New York Stock Exchange, agreed to be purchased by the Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange. Nasdaq held these discussions about three weeks ago, according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal. One person with knowledge of the deal says the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NADAQ:NDAQ) isn’t ‘currently in discussions with any private equity firm’ though this person said that could change.”
On who initiated the preliminary talks about Nasdaq going private:
“It’s unclear which side initiated the talks, but people with direct knowledge of the discussions say the heightened competition caused [Nasdaq CEO Bob] Greifeld to discuss with officials from Carlyle a possible deal to take Nasdaq private. One of the key players in the negotiations was Carlyle chief financial officer Adena Friedman, who left Nasdaq in 2011 as its CFO and head of corporate strategy. Friedman joined the Nasdaq in 1993, and led the exchange’s major deals: its purchase of the Boston Stock Exchange, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and the OMX, a group of Nordic exchanges. A Nasdaq spokesman said: ‘We don’t comment on market rumors or speculation.’ A Carlyle spokesman had no immediate comment.”
