Nasdaq chief executive Robert Greifeld said he will meet Clara Furse, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, in the near future, but that a possible takeover offer would not go beyond the "finite value" of the LSE.

Commenting on Nasdaq's strategy on a conference call about the company's first-quarter results yesterday, Greifeld said: "We have not met with Clara Furse since the purchase of the [15%] stake, but that will be something that happens in the not too distant future… We certainly believe that we'll be in a position to communicate in a productive way with the LSE management."