NASDAQ targets Europe

The turf battle to capture the hearts and minds of European capital stepped up a gear last Friday when the National Association of Securities Dealers announced plans to create a pan-European platform for IPOs, while its EASDAQ clone countered by unveiling details of new dual listing and trading facilities.

NASD said Nasdaq-Europe will offer European investors an Internet-accessible, high-performance, low-cost trading platform linked to Nasdaq markets in the U.S. and Asia. NASD has established a joint venture with Softbank Corp. of Japan, News Corp.'s e-partners venture capital fund, and Viventures Capital venture fund, to capitalize the pan-European market, which is scheduled to begin operating in the fourth quarter of 2000. ...