The European Commission blocked proposed merger between Deutsche Börse AG and London Stock Exchange Group. It was decided that the proposed merger would lead to a de facto monopoly in the markets for clearing fixed income instruments. The proposed merger aimed to combine activities of the two leading stock exchange operators in Europe. Previously the European Commission had initiated an in-depth investigation regarding the proposed merger. The press release dated 29 March about the decision is available via http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-789_en.htm