Yes, there's life!

Europe's stock exchanges are at last responding to the many competitive threats to their existence. Not a moment too soon

AFTER two years of procrastination, Europe's stock exchanges have suddenly sprung into life. Members of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) voted on March 15th to demutualise, giving the exchange a mandate to pursue mergers across Europe. On the same day, Belgium's finance minister, Didier Reynders, said that the Brussels exchange was in "advanced stages" of talks with its Amsterdam and

Paris rivals about a possible merger. If it proceeds, it will be the first cross-border merger among Europe's stock exchanges; the combined ...