ICE CEO says proposal to buy NYSE "well received" by regulators

IntercontinentalExchange Inc's $8.2 billion proposal to acquire NYSE Euronext has been "well received" by regulators, ICE Chief Executive Jeffrey Sprecher said on Thursday.

Sprecher said he and NYSE CEO Duncan Niederaur just completed a "whirlwind tour" visiting global regulators, particularly the five regulators that oversee the various markets in Europe, ahead of their announcement of the deal on Thursday morning.

(Reporting By John McCrank; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)