RUMOURS are flying fast in London as Thursday's deadline nears for Macquarie Bank to finalise its bid for the London Stock Exchange. The Sydney-based investment bank has refused to comment on a flurry of reports from British papers ranging from a marginal increase in the bank's bid to closed-door discussions with the exchange's largest investors to vet the possibility of a hostile takeover. The Sunday Times reported that Macquarie had increased its bid for the exchange to $3.7 billion after its $3.5 billion approach, made on Friday, was rebuffed. But the paper said the increase was only "marginally above the £5.80 it indicated it would pay last week".
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