NYSE CEO: More Consolidation Coming

Duncan Niederauer sees more shakeout taking place in the exchange industry. At least that is what the NYSE Euronext chief executive said during a speech on Thursday, according to Dow Jones Newswire's Jacob Bunge.

Niederauer also said the NYSE Euronext is planning to register its London-based clearinghouse as a U.S. trust bank, the article added.

You can read the full report here.

From Top To Bottom & Back

Whether the Dow Jones industrial average bottomed on Nov. 20 is debatable, notes John Prestbo.

But the executive director of Dow Jones Indexes writes in his latest MarketWatch column that whether stock indexes have hit a trough or not, it's likely any rebound will take some time to work through the economy. He goes on to trace the history of bear markets and put the Dow's recent performance into some sort of perspective.

You can read the story here.

Japan's Nikkei Extends Streak

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average is undergoing its longest advance since May, reports Bloomberg News.

But don't get too excited. Heading into Friday, the exchange had advanced four straight days. On Thursday, experts were crediting optimism of a U.S. bailout of automakers for lifting Japanese stocks. Apparently, traders believe that passage by the Senate of the $14 billion aid package will help lower the risk of a global recession.

You can read the story here.

Foreign Exchanges Brace For Wild Ride

If foreign traders are counting on leaders in Washington, D.C., to come up with a financing plan for the Big Three car companies in the U.S., then markets might be in for a rocky ride on Friday. The Wall Street Journal  is reporting early this morning that negotiations between lawmakers over the bailout package have collapsed. 

You can read the story here.