Buffett 'made offer for NYSE'

Warren Buffett, the American investor, attempted to buy the New York Stock Exchange last year, according to reports last night.

Mr Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate tabled an offer for the stock market's parent, NYSE Euronext, last November. But the bid was lower than an earlier offer from Intercontinental Exchange, according to two sources who spoke to Reuters. The news comes after Intercontinental last month agreed to buy the business in a deal worth more than $8bn. NYSE's directors had asked their bankers to pursue alternative offers as they weighed options for the business.