NASDAQ OMX Group (NASDAQ:NDAQ) reports its earnings release on Feb 26. The world's largest exchange company has had some commendable indicators that were published recently quoting its business growth. According to which, the NASDAQ Stock Market's matched share of U.S. equity volume in January 2009 was 27.1%, more than any other U.S. exchange for the twenty-second consecutive month.

Some of the corporate developments include the closing of its acquisition of a 22 percent stake in European Multilateral Clearing Facility N.V. (EMCF). In October 2008, NASDAQ OMX agreed to purchase a stake in this leading European clearing house from Fortis Bank Nederland (Holding) N.V. with the objective of reinforcing EMCF's position as the leading clearing house in Europe. NASDAQ OMX has also signed an agreement with EMCF to use their services for Central Counterparty (CCP) for all Nordic transactions. The provision of CCP services is subject to regulatory approval. NASDAQ OMX's decision to introduce CCP services in the Nordic markets and its strategic investment in EMCF is part of a broader commitment to reduce clearing and settlement costs for its customers in Europe. In addition, through EMCF, NASDAQ OMX will allow transactions in the Nordic markets to be available for netting with transactions that are executed on MTFs and cleared through EMCF. Cross netting of trades provides significant cost savings to investors by eliminating the need to pay a clearing fee on both the opening and the closing of a transaction. Interoperability between clearing houses allows markets to interact with multiple clearing houses to clear and settle their trades, increasing competition and lowering costs for investors.

On the product front, NASDAQ introduced the NASDAQ OMX Government Relief IndexSM (NASDAQ:QGRI). The index enables investors to track the performance of U.S.-listed securities that are participating in U.S. government sponsored relief programs such as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) or other direct government investments. NASDAQ and Osaka Securities Exchange Co., Ltd. (OSE) the premier Japanese derivatives and securities exchange, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the intent to form a strategic partnership. The partnership includes NASDAQ OMX's delivery of services to further develop OSE's market model, with the objective of growing volumes in both its cash and derivatives markets. Other potential areas of cooperation involve the exchange of market information, exchange of staff and dual-listing opportunities. The parties will also collaborate on defining technology requirements for OSE's next-generation trading platform for derivative products scheduled for launch in 2010. Another product addition came in the form of NASDAQ Market Pathfinders. This new, real-time data feed provides unparalleled insight into the aggregated buying and selling patterns of well-informed market participants. Market Pathfinders captures the sentiment of NASDAQ market participants as a whole, and enables users to compare the number of bullish vs. bearish "Pathfinders" and the number of shares they bought and sold.

Earnings Estimates
Current Estimates: $0.51
Number of Estimates: 16
High Estimate: $0.56
Low Estimate: $0.49
Last Year EPS: $0.46
Percentage Growth: 11.00 %

Disclosure: The author does not own any of the stocks mentioned above.