CME Group Inc. denied on Wednesday it is planning to acquire Cboe Global Markets Inc.
"The company has not had any discussions with Cboe whatsoever," CME said in a statement.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported CME is in talks to buy Cboe in an all-share deal worth $16 billion. Cboe shares initially jumped 8% on the report but have eased gains and traded 2.4% higher after the denial.