CME Group and NASDAQ OMX Group Announce Expanded Long-Term Partnership on Exclusive Nasdaq 100(R) License Extended Through 2019;
June 30 2008 - 9:08AM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO and NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CME Group
(NYSE:CMENASDAQ:CME) , the largest and most diverse derivatives
exchange and leading provider of equity index futures and options,
and The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ), today announced they
will expand their highly successful long-term partnership through
two new initiatives. First, the NASDAQ OMX Group will extend CME
Group's exclusive rights to offer futures and options on futures
contracts based on NASDAQ indices, for an additional seven-year
period, through 2019. This agreement, which would have expired in
2012, further strengthens the longstanding partnership between
these two industry-leading exchanges that began in 1996. CME Group
today offers a number of NASDAQ-related futures and options
contracts, including the NASDAQ-100 and E-mini(TM) NASDAQ 100;
NASDAQ Composite and NASDAQ Biotechnology, with average daily
volumes of approximately 490,000 and a compounded annual growth
rate during the last 10 years of 61 percent. Second, CME Group
announced that its Board of Directors has approved the decision to
single list its common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select. The
ticker symbol will remain CME. "For more than a decade, CME Group
and NASDAQ have enjoyed a strong relationship," said CME Group
Executive Chairman Terry Duffy. "Together, we have been able to
provide a series of significant and innovative hedging and risk
management tools to the marketplace, benefiting CME Group customers
and creating new value for the shareholders of both organizations.
We are pleased to further extend this productive partnership with
this exclusive agreement. Furthermore, after evaluating the trading
of our stock and leveraging NASDAQ's corporate services, we believe
that single listing on The NASDAQ Stock Market recognizes the value
and importance of our relationship." "The expansion of the
long-term partnership between CME Group and The NASDAQ OMX Group
reflects how well our two organizations work together to create
value in our respective core businesses," said CME Chief Executive
Officer Craig Donohue. Today's seven-year extension of CME Group's
exclusive license rights further strengthens our long-term growth
prospects and earnings potential in the equity derivatives market,
where we also have long-term exclusive rights to offer futures and
options on futures contracts based on S&P Indices through 2016,
and on Dow Jones Indices until 2014. Additionally, our decision to
single list on NASDAQ recognizes the extraordinary success that
NASDAQ has achieved in becoming the leading market center for
trading in CME Group shares since CME Group first dual listed on
both NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange on May 2, 2005. We look
forward to leveraging our partnership for the benefit of our
customers and shareholders." "NASDAQ OMX is pleased with the CME
Group's decision to single list on The NASDAQ Stock Market from
their previous dually-listed status. CME Group has been dually
listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market since 2005 and after
evaluating the significant amount of trading that happens on our
trading platform this was a natural switch. We are also happy to
continue our long standing relationship on the NASDAQ-100," added
Bob Greifeld, CEO of The NASDAQ OMX Group. About CME Group CME
Group (http://www.cmegroup.com/) is the world's largest and most
diverse derivatives exchange. Formed by the 2007 merger of the
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade
(CBOT), CME Group serves the risk management needs of customers
around the globe. As an international marketplace, CME Group brings
buyers and sellers together on the CME Globex electronic trading
platform and on its trading floors. CME Group offers the widest
range of benchmark products available across all major asset
classes, including futures and options based on interest rates,
equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, and
alternative investment products such as weather and real estate.
CME Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ under
the symbol "CME." About NASDAQ OMX Group The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
is the world's largest exchange company. It delivers trading,
exchange technology and public company services across six
continents, and with over 3,900 companies, it is number one in
worldwide listings among major markets. NASDAQ OMX offers multiple
capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including
its U.S. listings market; the OMX Nordic Exchange, including First
North; and the 144A PORTAL Market. The company offers trading
across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives,
debt, commodities, structured products and ETFs. NASDAQ OMX
technology supports the operations of over 60 exchanges, clearing
organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50
countries. OMX Nordic Exchange is not a legal entity but describes
the common offering from NASDAQ OMX exchanges in Helsinki,
Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For
more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com/.
The Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, CME Group, Globex
and E-mini, are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT
and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of the Board of Trade of
the City of Chicago. NASDAQ, NASDAQ-100 and the NASDAQ-100 Index
are trademarks of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Further
information about CME Group and its products can be found at
http://www.cmegroup.com/. CME-G DATASOURCE: CME Group CONTACT:
Media, Anita Liskey of CME Group, +1-312-466-4613, or Silvia Davi
of Nasdaq OMX, +1-646-441-5014; or Investors, John Peschier of CME
Group, +1-312-930-8491; or Vincent Palmiere of Nasdaq OMX,
+1-301-978-5242 Web site: http://www.cmegroup.com/
http://www.nasdaqomx.com/
Copyright