7 yesterday endorsed the merger with Euronext

It is a vote to the Soviet as shareholders of the New York Stock Exchange (Nyse) present or represented 99.7 yesterday endorsed the merger with Euronext. At an extraordinary general meeting, the agenda was sealed off and barely six minutes before a lean of about a hundred shareholders, the New York Stock Exchange has finalized what view of America, is indeed the redemption of awards European allied with Euronext. Remains to obtain than the last administrative agreements (particularly in the Netherlands) and the marriage will be formalized.

At eight o'clock in the morning, they were in fact only a big handful to move up to Wall Street. Among the first arrivals, a trader, to voice broken for no doubt too yelling on the "floor", interrupts his discussion with a colleague who kept his jacket of "specialist" to pay tribute to a "Good luck, John", the Director General of the Nyse, John Thain by entering a not casual. The suspense is, it is true, non-existent. More than 75 of the votes were cast in advance and just started meeting, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nyse, Marshall Carter, can already announce that the agenda resolutions have all been adopted. "It even not had the time to ask questions", to carry Miss Davis, a shareholder whose activism runs well American AG. But in fact, nothing disturbs a merger which is already little more relevant to America. Not a line about this operation in most newspapers.

The free press prefers to highlight the woes of Miss America, risk of losing his Crown to frequented bars "olé - olé". Even the Wall Street Journal does this transatlantic marriage its thirteenth modest call for "one", referring to a paper in the inside pages of the third book.

Already new goals

While taking the time to answer a few questions at the end of the formal meeting, John Thain also shows that, even if its "priority is now to succeed integration" with Euronext, Nyse boss has new objectives. "Asia is the next place where we look;" There is no doubt a transaction in some time, but probably not a merger, says the former Goldman Sachs. "The Asian awards are not yet demutualized", says Marshall Carter. The goal will still be quickly forge at least technical agreements with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which the President will be in New York late January.

To concerned shareholders on their investment, John Thain said that, in the European tradition, the new Nyse would consider the possibility of paying a dividend. Shareholders should also be easier to sell their shares now that the share of "floating", which was the introduction in stock market of Nyse for $ 1 billion, will significantly increase. John Thain also promises an improvement of margins (today around 20), but admits that he can do as well as exchanges in futures contracts. "One of the attractions of Euronext was that it also acquired the Liffe and this will help us," he said prior to Eclipse. Not the meeting lasted 30 minutes total.