CBOE Holdings To Acquire Data And Analytics Platforms Of Livevol, Inc.

CHICAGO, June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CBOE Holdings, Inc. CBOE announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the market data services and trading analytics platforms of Livevol, Inc., a leading provider of equity and index options technology and market data services to professional and retail traders. The acquisition, which has been approved by the board of directors of both CBOE Holdings, Inc. and Livevol, Inc., is expected to close by June 30, 2015.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.    

According to the agreement, CBOE Holdings will acquire the Livevol Core, Livevol Pro and Livevol X trading analytics platforms, as well as Livevol Enterprise and other market data solutions products.  Livevol Securities, Inc., the company's broker-dealer unit, is not included in the deal. The acquired properties will become subsidiaries of CBOE Holdings upon completion of the deal.  Livevol's 17 employees will join CBOE Holdings. 

As a result of the acquisition, CBOE will have the ability to expand its scope of market data services to include Livevol's innovative platforms and robust trading analytics.  Livevol's options trade analysis and volatility modeling technologies are a natural fit with CBOE's offerings of trade support services.  The deal will also enable CBOE to leverage the synergies between the two companies by customizing Livevol data and analytics capabilities to provide customers with greater insight to CBOE products and services.  As an example, Livevol platforms would be tailored to provide more detailed trading analytics on CBOE's proprietary index products, including options on the CBOE Volatility Index^® (VIX^® Index), S&P 500 Index (SPX), Russell 2000 Index (RUT) and MSCI Emerging Markets Index (MXEF).

"We welcome the Livevol team to CBOE. The acquisition of Livevol's innovative market analytics platforms will significantly expand CBOE Holdings' presence in the market data services business," said CBOE Holdings CEO Edward T. Tilly. "We are pleased to be able to provide our customers with convenient access to an even greater range of data and analytics to further support index options and volatility trading at CBOE." 

"The Livevol team is pleased to join CBOE," said Livevol, Inc. CEO Catherine Clay. "Livevol is a leader in trading analytics and CBOE is the leader in options and volatility trading.  Our combined expertise will enable us to expand and grow the data services we provide to market participants."     

The acquisition will be funded with existing cash; and while it is not expected to be material in terms of revenue or earnings per share for 2015, the company expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings per share in 2016. 

The platforms to be acquired in the transaction include:

• Livevol Pro – a web-based equity and option analysis software with features that include real-time and historical data, alerts, market scanners and calculations used to identify potential trading opportunities.
• Livevol X – a high-performance trade execution platform that combines the functionality of the Livevol Pro front-end interface with advanced trading capabilities and sophisticated risk management analytics.
• Livevol Enterprise – a data distribution platform via a custom API architecture that allows users to receive and display data and analytics in any format within their own system. The system also provides historical data files, intraday strategy scan files and other custom data-sets.

Livevol, Inc. provides professional and retail traders with cutting-edge tools, data and custom analytics services. Livevol offers a spectrum of technology and data solutions, including a consolidated feed, real-time programmable analysis and scanning, historical files and back testing, real-time decision support, flat files, XML web services and other web components. Additional information on Livevol, Inc. and its products can be found at www.livevol.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain information contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

About CBOE Holdings, Inc.:
CBOE Holdings, Inc. CBOE is the holding company for Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE) and other subsidiaries.  CBOE, the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options, continues to set the bar for options and volatility trading through product innovation, trading technology and investor education. CBOE Holdings offers equity, index and ETP options, including proprietary products, such as S&P 500 options (SPX), the most active U.S. index option, and options and futures on the CBOE Volatility Index (the VIX Index). Other products engineered by CBOE include equity options, security index options, Weeklys options, LEAPS options, FLEX options, and benchmark products such as the CBOE S&P BuyWrite Index (BXM). CBOE Holdings is home to the world-renowned Options Institute and www.cboe.com, the go-to place for options and volatility trading resources. 

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CBOE^®, Chicago Board Options Exchange^®, CFE^®, Execute Success^®, FLEX^®, LEAPS^®, CBOE Volatility Index^® and VIX^® are registered trademarks, and BuyWrite^SM, CBOE Futures Exchange^SM, BXM^SM, Weeklys^SM and The Options Institute^SM are service marks of Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (CBOE).  Standard & Poor's^®, S&P^® and S&P 500^® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC and have been licensed for use by CBOE, CFE and C2.  Russell^® and Russell 2000^® are registered trademarks of Russell Investments and have been licensed for use by CBOE and CFE. The Russell 2000^® Index is a trademark and service mark of Frank Russell Company, used under license. MSCI^® and the MSCI index names are service marks of MSCI Inc. or its affiliates and have been licensed for use by the CBOE and CFE. Options contracts on any MSCI index are not sponsored, guaranteed or endorsed by MSCI, its affiliates or any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling such MSCI index. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.  

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SOURCE CBOE Holdings, Inc.