Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. has given suitors for its 31 percent stake in London Stock Exchange PLC until the end of the week to express their interest for the stake but so far hasn’t received any offers, The Wall Street journal reports.
Nasdaq has asked for indications of interest by the end of the business day on Friday, though that isn’t a hard deadline, according to these people. The stake has a market value of 846 million ($1.71 billion). Early last week, about a half-dozen institutions were mulling a bid, and some had talked with Nasdaq representatives, these people said. It isn’t clear, however, if any of the interested parties actually will make a formal bid this week.
One person familiar with the matter said the stake could be sold directly on the markets rather than through a large sale.
At least two of these potential bidders — Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd. and Qatar Investment Authority, state-owned investment firms in Singapore and Qatar, respectively — have approached the LSE, according to these people.