TSX-LSE tie-up a lost opportunity Germany isn’t missing

A few years ago the London Stock Exchange, a global powerhouse in investment clearing made a rich and constructive offer to buy the Toronto Exchange. This would have tied our business capital into one of the world’s premier economic and investment networks with guarantees of local jobs and global access. Narrow business nationalism prevailed and LSE was shown the door in favour of the hastily cobbled together Maple. LSE moved on, Maple has languished by the London exchange has gone from strength to strength and is now close to a deal to merge with their German opposite number to become one of a tiny handful of globe-dominating exchanges. Meanwhile Canada continues to lose steam. It didn’t have to be this way. Read the whole sad tale in my Globe column of March 4th, 2016.