Nasdaq and ICE to continue offer for NYSE: Sprecher

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Nasdaq and Intercontinentalexchange Inc will continue to press management of rival exchange NYSE to accept their takeover offer, ICE CEO Jeffrey Sprecher said on Tuesday.

"We think the proposal has merits so we will continue that process," regarding the offer, Sprecher told reporters in Rio de Janeiro, where he is attending an exchange conference. Both Nasdaq and ICE have received "excellent response" from NYSE shareholders on the bid, he said.

(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Writing by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)