Oct 8, 2019 - Economy

Hong Kong's stock exchange pulls takeover offer for London Stock Exchange

Dan Primack

Hong Kong stock excahnge — Photo: Vernon Yuen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing pulled a $39 billion takeover offer for the London Stock Exchange, following opposition from LSE's board and an inability to secure large shareholder support.

Why it matters: LSE opposition was officially driven by strategic and pricing concerns, but cannot be divorced from concerns over the future viability of Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" relationship with China.

LSE plans to move forward with its $27 billion purchase of financial data company Refinitiv from The Blackstone Group and Thomson Reuters. HK Exchanges had made its offer contingent on LSE dropping the Refinitiv deal.

The bottom line: "Exchange companies have tried and failed to combine in recent years, as political, regulatory and economic considerations have foiled the efforts." — Bloomberg

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Hong Kong's stock exchange pulls takeover offer for London Stock Exchange

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