LSE says not heard anything new from Nasdaq

SEOUL, Sep 5 (Reuters) There has been no recent contact from Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. over a possible fresh bid for the London Stock Exchange, LSE Chairman Chris Gibson-Smith said on Tuesday.

Britain's The Observer newspaper, without citing sources, said on Sunday that the U.S. exchange was considering making a hostile bid for the LSE, in which it has built up a stake of over 25 percent.

''There has been no recent contact,'' Gibson-Smith told Reuters when asked about the newspaper report on the sidelines of a reception in Seoul to promote the LSE as an exchange for South Korean firms wanting to list.

Nasdaq's .2 billion takeover offer in March was rebuffed by the LSE.

Gibson-Smith said he had nothing to add to comments his exchange had made in the past on the issue.

In July, the LSE, Europe's biggest stock market and the focus of several bids, said it would oppose any deal that weakened London as a financial centre.

Under British takeover rules, Nasdaq must wait six months from the time of the last bid before making any fresh approach. A source familiar with the situation said it was unlikely to go straight into launching a hostile bid.

REUTERS CS BS1226