Upstart to Buy NYSE

The end of American capitalism? Probably not. In a monumental move that would mark the end of 200 years of independence for the New York Stock Exchange, upstart IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) agreed to acquire NYSE Euronext for $8 billion. ICE would reportedly buy the NYSE and then sell its stock-exchange businesses in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal. ICE, only 12-years-old, focuses on energy futures trading—something that the NYSE does not. This lack of an overlap is likely to raise regulatory questions.