European ambitions to establish a trading giant to rival US competitors were thrown into doubt after Intercontinental Exchange said it might bid for the London Stock Exchange, days after Deutsche Börse and the LSE revealed a merger plan.

欧洲机构缔造一家交易巨擘、与美国竞争对手分庭抗礼的雄心产生变数，原因是美国洲际交易所(ICE)宣布可能竞购伦敦证交所(LSE)。就在几天前，德意志交易所(Deutsche Börse)和伦敦证交所披露了合并计划。

ICE, which owns the New York Stock Exchange, said yesterday that it was looking at a proposal but had not yet approached the board of the LSE and that “there can be no certainty that any offer will be made”.

旗下拥有纽约证交所(NYSE)的ICE昨日表示，正在研究一个方案，但还没有接洽伦敦证交所董事会，并称：“并不确定是否会发出要约”。

The LSE is in advanced talks with Deutsche Börse over a ￡20bn deal, which would create a globally competitive European champion in derivatives, clearing and financial market data.

伦敦证交所与德意志交易所围绕200亿英镑的合并交易已展开深入谈判，合并将缔造一家在衍生品、清算和金融市场数据领域具有全球竞争力的欧洲冠军企业。

News of ICE’s interest fuelled speculation that other leading exchange operators, including Chicago’s CME Group and Hong Kong’s HKeX, could enter the fray and spark an international -bidding war.

有关ICE感兴趣的消息推动人们猜测，其他主要交易所运营商，包括芝加哥商品交易所集团(CME Group)和香港交易所(HKEx)，可能加入角逐，引发一场国际竞购战。

Shares in the LSE rose 7.2 per cent, marking the first time the company has been valued at almost ￡10bn. ICE’s entry could ignite a political storm over who should own and regulate the LSE. A deal with the German bourse would boost London’s prominence as a financial capital, creating a UK-based holding company with dual headquarters in the UK capital and Frankfurt.

伦敦证交所股价上涨7.2%，标志着该公司的估值首次接近100亿英镑。ICE加入竞购可能点燃一场政治风暴，焦点问题是应当由谁拥有和监管伦敦证交所。与德意志交易所合并将提振伦敦作为一个金融中心的显赫地位，创建一家落户英国、在英国首都和法兰克福设立双总部的控股公司。