NYSE Euronext to Provide Transparency for Alternative Trading Systems

-- Barclays Capital, GETCO, Goldman Sachs, Knight, UBS to Participate; Other Firms to Join --

NYSE Euronext (NYX) announced that beginning next month, it will provide a means for participating broker-dealers' alternative trading systems (ATSs) and off-exchange market centers to create transparency regarding volume and individual "dark pool" activity by allowing the firms to "print" trades on the FINRA/NYSE Trade Reporting Facility (TRF) and display the daily activity of each trading venue on NYSE.com.

"This is an example of NYSE Euronext and the industry working together to develop a positive solution to address the lack of understanding regarding the extent and nature of 'dark pool' trading , which has been a concern for regulators and legislators," said Joseph Mecane, NYSE Euronext's Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for U.S. Markets. "We believe this will bring requisite and appropriate sunlight to alternative trading systems and other sources of off-exchange liquidity, and also help standardize the way their trading volumes are reported."

NYSE Euronext has been discussing the idea with a number of firms that operate ATSs and off-exchange trading venues, and Barclays Capital, GETCO, Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing, L.P., Knight Equity Markets, L.P. and UBS Investment Bank have volunteered to begin reporting their respective venues' activity to the FINRA/NYSE TRF in November 2009. Other firms have indicated an interest in NYSE Euronext's transparency initiative and are establishing the necessary technology to begin participating in the program in the coming weeks.

"This initiative is an important step toward the standardization of trade volume reporting across ATS venues," said Frank Troise, Head of Equities Electronic Product at Barclays Capital. "Industry participants will be able to make more informed order placement decisions and thereby improve their execution quality."

"We need to maintain the right balance between vibrant public price discovery and individual execution preference," said Jon Ross head of GETCO Execution Services. "This initiative is an important first step in collecting the data critical to analyzing and preserving that balance."

"We're looking forward to the launch of NYSE Euronext's ATS-transparency initiative," said Greg Tusar, Head of Electronic Trading in the Americas at Goldman Sachs. "By publishing trading volume on its website, NYSE Euronext has spearheaded an industry-driven solution which provides a public source for evaluating broker-dealer ATS volumes."

"Knight is pleased to work with NYSE Euronext to increase transparency among off exchange liquidity providers through their FINRA/NYSE Trade Reporting Facility," said Jamil Nazarali, Managing Director, Knight Equity Markets. "This new facility will enable market participants to better evaluate and compare competing pools of liquidity to make more informed routing decisions."

Charlie Susi, Head of Direct Execution for the Americas at UBS Investment Bank, said, "The way the industry has advertised non-displayed volumes and crossing rates has been highly inconsistent -- which makes it very difficult for clients to get a clear picture of liquidity. This initiative is something we're pleased to see, because it will establish better objectivity and clarity. We encourage all of our peers to join us in participating."

The daily trading activity volume published by the FINRA/NYSE TRF will be based on trades reported to the FINRA/NYSE TRF, which follow FINRA's trade-reporting rules. Basing the published volume strictly on trade reports will address some of the problems associated with voluntary reporting by ATSs of their own volume, such as counting both sides of a trade, and counting trades that are routed by not executed. Trades reported to FINRA/NYSE TRF will be single-counted and matched-only. All ATS trades are currently reported to an industry TRF, which in turn drives the various "time and sales" market data feeds. This initiative attributes the volumes to the matching destination.

Each trade reporting facility provides a mechanism for the reporting of transactions effected otherwise than on an exchange. While each TRF is affiliated with a registered national securities exchange, each TRF is a FINRA facility and is subject to FINRA's registration as a national securities association.

About NYSE Euronext

NYSE Euronext (NYX) is a leading global operator of financial markets and provider of innovative trading technologies. The company's exchanges in Europe and the United States trade equities, futures, options, fixed-income and exchange-traded products. With more than 8,000 listed issues, NYSE Euronext's equities markets -- the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext, NYSE Amex and NYSE Alternext as well as NYSE Arca -- represent nearly 40 percent of the world's equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group. NYSE Euronext also operates NYSE Liffe, the leading European derivatives business and the world's second-largest derivatives business by value of trading. The company offers comprehensive commercial technology, connectivity and market data products and services through NYSE Technologies. NYSE Euronext is in the S&P 500 index, and is the only exchange operator in the S&P 100 index and Fortune 500. For more information, please visit:http://www.nyx.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning NYSE Euronext's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements are based on NYSE Euronext's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause NYSE Euronext's results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: NYSE Euronext's ability to implement its strategic initiatives, economic, political and market conditions and fluctuations, government and industry regulation, interest rate risk and U.S. and global competition, and other factors detailed in NYSE Euronext's reference document for 2008 ("document de reference") filed with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers (Registered on April 28, 2009 under No. R. 09-031), 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or the French Autorite des Marches Financiers. In addition, these statements are based on a number of assumptions that are subject to change. Accordingly, actual results may be materially higher or lower than those projected. The inclusion of such projections herein should not be regarded as a representation by NYSE Euronext that the projections will prove to be correct. This press release speaks only as of this date. NYSE Euronext disclaims any duty to update the information herein.

SOURCE: NYSE Euronext

NYSE Euronext 
Ray Pellecchia, 212-656-2001 
rpellecchia@nyx.com