Nasdaq, the New York market, has been forced to extend today's deadline for offers for its 31 per cent stake in the London Stock Exchange.

The deadline was an unofficial one, and the company is refusing to say when the next round of the auction for the stake will expire.

The suspicion is that, while there have been a number of expressions of interest for the shares, there have as yet been no firm offers.

The stake was amassed during Nasdaq's failed bid for the LSE, which lapsed in February. The Americans are also bidding for OMX, the Nordic and Baltic exchanges operator, though they insist the decison to sell their shares in the LSE is not linked to this.

Nasdaq is battling against the Borse Dubai for OMX after the government-backed group launched a full-blown bid and revealed it had secured options to purchase 23.5 per cent of OMX ordinary shares at SKr230 each.

LSE shares have been falling this morning — off 9p to £13.81 — as hopes have ebbed of an offer for the company from whoever buys the stake.

A number of potential purchasers have been mentioned, although at least one, the Qatar government investment vehicle, has yet to appoint an investment adviser for any deal.

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