Consolidation in the Exchange Industry: What are Exchanges Actually Worth? Some Evidence from a Crises Environment

It is generally acknowledged that the exchange industry shares the typical features of network industries, forcing exchanges to merge across countries. This process was first urged by the need to keep up with technological developments and increased competition from peers and new competitors. Starting 2005 and up to 2007 we observed significant cross border mergers within the securities industry leading to the creation of a few large groups with a diversified business model. It was questioned whether such mergers leaded to a stable equilibrium. Now, in the aftermath of the crisis a new wave of consolidation is taking place. The financial turmoil dramatically affected the market functioning delivering severe strains to the financial sector and modified the way of conducting business. We address the implications of the crisis on exchange’s values, investigating if expectations lying behind values have somewhat changed or compressed or reflect new opportunities. Copyright Springer-Verlag Wien 2012