Photo credit: Amanda Gordon
By Amanda Gordon, Bloomberg News
At the Museum of American Finance’s gala last night, Duncan Niederauer told Jes Staley he was “feeling good about” the sale of NYSE Euronext (NYX) to IntercontinentalExchange.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Niederauer, who will be president of the combined firms.
Staley was grinning just hours after he announced his departure to BlueMountain Capital Management LLC, where he’ll be managing partner, from JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM), where he worked for more than 34 years.
Change in the financial industry is a constant theme at the museum, whose exhibitions include a 1792 treasury bond issued to George Washington as well as information on hedge funds and electronic trading.
The 25-year-old institution has a $3.6 million budget and last year had 43,000 visitors. The newest temporary exhibition lets visitors weigh in on five investments made by Barings Bank, including the Louisiana Purchase.
“The public needs better education about finance,” said Muriel Siebert, founder of Siebert Financial Corp. (SIEB), who developed a financial curriculum for high schools. “I respect the museum because they’re trying.”
View photos from the 2013 Gala here.