The planned $8.2bn acquisition of NYSE Euronext by Atlanta's IntercontinentalExchange reassembles a group of bankers that just 10 months ago were working on NYSE's ill-fated merger with Deutsche Börse.

The group of advisers working on the Ice-NYSE merger have also worked on many of the other large M&A deals in the exchange sector over the past year. One advisory banker covering the industry likened the sector to 1980s sitcom 'Cheers', whose theme tune was 'Where everybody knows your name'.