NASDAQ COMPLETES PURCHASE OF STAKE IN NEW COMMODITY TRADING NETWORK

Posted December 18, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. has closed the acquisition of a 20 percent equity interest in Agora-X LLC, the provider of the Agora-X electronic communications network (ECN) for institutional trading in over-the-counter (OTC) commodity contracts.

“We’ve worked with Nasdaq OMX to create the technology for a best-in-class electronic marketplace, and now that Agora-X is ‘live,’ we are going to transform the way institutions trade OTC commodities,” says Brent M. Weisenborn, Chief Executive Officer, Agora-X. “Trading is all about getting the best price, and the Agora-X platform brings offers and bids together to provide efficient negotiation, improved price visibility, and greater liquidity for OTC market participants.”

The Agora-X ECN launched on December 12, intended to enable institutional traders to efficiently negotiate OTC transactions in agricultural swaps and swaptions, as well as swaps and options on ethanol. The platform provides a more liquid and transparent marketplace for price discovery and negotiation. Until now, OTC market participants have had to find counterparties and negotiate prices for each trade through time-consuming phone calls, instant messages or e-mails.

In January, Agora-X plans to roll out its exempt commercial market (ECM) to handle financially-settled option “look-alikes” in energy, metals and other non-agricultural commodities. The ECM will allow negotiation, execution and clearing of OTC trades in non-agricultural commodities.