The New York Stock Exchange Goes Public!

[AGENDA21]

The New York Stock Exchange, on the brink of becoming a publicly traded company, is poised to use its new stock to snap up other exchanges in a race for market domination.

Tomorrow, the NYSE's merger with electronic rival Archipelago becomes final and a coming stock offering will net the new company, now called NYSE Group, up to $2 billion.

Wall Street watchers say the Big Board may use its cash and new public currency to buy outfits that will add bond trading, international stocks and derivatives to its offerings.

"The management has to put forward a pretty convincing argument that they can do something productive with the cash that they raised," said Harrell Smith of financial research at Celent.

http://www.nypost.com/business/60605.htm