Nymex Spikes on Deal Talk

Nymex (NMX Quote) soared 8% early Friday after Bloomberg reported that the exhange is exploring a possible sale to one of three big rivals.

The New York-based exchange is talking with NYSE Euronext (NYX Quote), Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Quote) and Germany's Deutsche Boerse about a deal that could be worth $155 a share, or $14 billion, Bloomberg reported. The report cited two people involved in the discussions.

The deal chatter comes as exchange mergers sweep the red-hot sector. Shares of companies such as the CME and the Nymex have been among Wall Street's best performers in recent years, as transaction volume soars and investors look for places to put their money to work. The group has already been through a protracted period of dealmaking, with CME and rival ICE (ICE Quote) chasing the Chicago Board of Trade (BOT Quote) and with Nasdaq (NDAQ Quote) trying to bully the London Stock Exchange into a deal before recently agreeing to buy Europe's OMX.

Nymex rose $10.15 early Friday to $149.95, coming within a dime of its 52-week high.

To watch Colin Barr's video take of this column, click here.