The planned £8.9bn acquisition of Reuters by the Canadian publisher Thomson raises "serious doubts" about fair competition in the market for financial information, according to the European Commission. So it has now launched an "in-depth investigation" into the takeover.
The commission is concerned that the supply of financial information - such as data-feeds, access to specific financial information databases and real-time broker reports, and the provision of news services - may have an impact on other providers of financial information.
If the deal goes ahead Thomson will triple its share of the financial data market to 34%, overtaking its major rival, Bloomberg. (Via Daily Telegraph and The Guardian)
