http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-wed-sme-shares-regulation-feb5,0,613244.storySo who cashed in?
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Shares of CME Group Inc. and Nymex Holdings Inc. plummeted Wednesday after the Department of Justice raised concerns about regulations governing the trading of financial futures _ putting the proposed $11 billion combination of the two exchange firms in doubt.
In a submission to the Treasury Department, Thomas O. Barnett, assistant attorney general in Justice's antitrust division, argued that the regulatory framework surrounding clearance of financial futures stifles competition and hampers innovation.
The letter prompted a huge selloff in the stock of financial exchanges by nervous investors.
CME Group's shares, which had grown 20-fold when it reached the five-year mark as a publicly traded firm in December, plunged $103.55, or 17.6 percent, to $485.25 in Wednesday trading.
Nymex Holdings Inc., which CME is considering buying for about $11 billion, fell $18.78, or 17.6 percent, to $87.88 after touching $86.61, the lowest price since the stock debuted publicly in late 2006.