NASDAQ OMX Group (NDAQ)

The adoption of Regulation NMS by the SEC could have a material adverse effect on our business.

In February 2004, the SEC proposed Regulation NMS, a series of proposals designed to modernize the regulatory structure of the U.S. equity markets. In December 2004, the SEC proposed a revised Regulation NMS for public comment. Regulation NMS addresses the trade-through rule, intermarket access, market data and sub-penny pricing. See “—Regulation—Recent Regulatory Developments.”

We cannot predict whether the changes proposed by Regulation NMS will be adopted by the SEC in their proposed form, a different form, or at all. Accordingly, we cannot predict the impact these proposed rule changes will have on our business. If the SEC adopts a proposal that (i) reduces the market data fees or revenues we

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receive for trade executions, (ii) imposes significant regulatory compliance costs upon us, (iii) reduces the number of orders routed to our systems for execution, and/or (iv) reduces the number of internalized trades reported to The Nasdaq Stock Market, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Internalization occurs when a broker-dealer receives a customer buy or sell order and, instead of routing the order to another broker-dealer or market for execution, chooses to fill the order from shares in the firm’s own trading account or by executing it against other customer orders that the firm holds. In addition, Regulation NMS may lead to structural change in how securities trade and report, which are unknown and could have an adverse impact on our financial results or which could adversely affect our competitive position.