LSE mulls future alone.

Investors Chronicle, February, 2007

When the London Stock Exchange's (LSE) chief executive Clara Furse woke up last Monday, it was the first day for over two years that she didn't have to worry about fighting off a takeover bid. Since December 2004, when Deutsche Borse tabled a bid worth 530p a share, the LSE has been courted by Australian bank Macquarie, Paris-based Euronext and, most recently, Nasdaq. But after its bid failed, the US exchange is barred from making a fresh approach for a year - unless someone else does - and this looks unlikely, as long as Nasdaq retains its near 30 per cent stake.

Ms Furse will now have to justify her robust defence and show that the LSE is better off alone. And she hasn't wasted time, with an upbeat trading statement this week revealing that trades through the...

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