Nasdaq CEO says geography no barrier to deals

By Mark McSherry

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. (NDAQ.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will continue looking for deals amid the wave of consolidation in the exchanges sector, Nasdaq Chief Executive Robert Greifeld said on Tuesday.

Nasdaq recently failed in a takeover bid for London Stock Exchange Group.

Speaking at the Reuters Exchanges and Trading Summit in New York, Greifeld said: "We will do deals -- I can't really be any more direct than that."

Asked what types of deals Nasdaq might be interested in, Greifeld replied: "We are the world's best exchange at processing high volumes of relatively simple instruments -- we need to lever that."

Greifeld said cash equity and options businesses could meet his criteria and that geography was not a barrier. "I don't care if it's in Philadelphia, South Africa, Singapore, Norway, or anywhere," Greifeld said.

But Greifeld added that Nasdaq, the largest U.S. electronic stock market, would only do deals that benefited shareholders in a relatively short period of time.

On April 19, Nasdaq said a charge linked to its failed takeover bid for London Stock Exchange Group Plc (LSE.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) depressed its quarterly earnings.

Nasdaq still owns roughly a 30 percent stake in LSE. "We maintain optionality on the stake," Greifeld said on Tuesday.  Continued...