Sprecher Commitment to NYSE Seen Receding Amid Cost Cuts

Jeffrey Sprecher, who built the second-largest U.S. futures market, will likely focus on reducing costs after acquiring NYSE Euronext even if that means separating the 220-year-old New York Stock Exchange.

While Sprecher, the ICE chief executive officer who agreed to buy NYSE Euronext in December, has committed to revitalizing the equity venue, he will probably end up selling it to focus on derivatives, according to Diego Perfumo, who advises hedge funds on exchanges at Equity Research Desk LLC. The potential to streamline the NYSE is shrinking after expenses were cut in half since 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.