Report: Documents show U.S. has approved sale of Chicago Stock Exchange to Chinese firm

The sale was approved despite the objections of several U.S. lawmakers. /Getty Images

 

The sale was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to a Chinese group led by Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group despite the objections of several U.S. lawmakers who cited concerns about the level of influence the Chinese state might gain over the Chicago exchange, Reuters reported.

China Is Buying the Chicago Stock Exchange. A Dangerous Signal for the Global Economy

Capital flight or capitol fight: Why is so much money fleeing China, and what is the biggest ramification?

An obscure Chinese company is buying the Chicago Stock Exchange. The February 5 announcement stirred a tumult on Capitol Hill. Members of both parties of Congress denounced the takeover, calling for the Treasury Department to investigate the proposed sale.

Yet the founder of the Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group (Casin Group), which is buying the Chicago Exchange, assured regulators that his intentions were purely financial in nature. He planned on keeping the United States management team in place and said he would use information learned from the Chicago Exchange “to help develop financial markets in China over the longer term and to bring exciting Chinese growth companies to U.S. investors.”

So what’s the problem?

Chinese companies buying up foreign groups at alarming rate

(TRUNEWS) Chinese groups are scooping up foreign and U.S. companies at a record rate.

According to Business Insider, lawmakers are concerned about the growing trend, so 45 members of Congress signed a letter to the Treasury Department asking them to take some action.

Chicago Stock Exchange Says It’s Being Sold to Chinese-Led Group

The Chicago Stock Exchange said a Chinese investor group agreed to acquire it, giving the buyer entry into the intensely competitive U.S. equity market.

Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the company, according to a statement Friday, which didn’t give financial terms. The exchange said the deal is expected to close in the second half of the year, though that will require regulatory approval.