Shatkin Arbor to be Acquired by Australian Firm

Shatkin Arbor Inc., the Chicago-based futures brokerage and clearing firm, will be acquired by a unit of Australian financial-services giant Macquarie Group, for undisclosed terms. Shatkin Arbor was co-founded more than 40 years ago by former Chicago Board of Trade chairman, and he remains a principal with the 25-person firm. Macquarie Group's Macquarie Futures USA unit, NY-base, executes and clears futures contracts on major exchanges in the U.S. and around the world, the Australian buyer said. The addition of Shatkin Arbor "complements Macquairie's current U.S. futures operations extremely well, and will significantly expand our operations by enabling Macquarie Futures to directly execute and clear trades on both Chicago Mercantile Exchange & Chicago Board of Trade markets for our clients," said an official. Shatkin Arbor employees, including senior management, will become employees of Macquarie Futures, they said. He praised Macquarie's long established presence in the futures and its strategic vision for its U.S. business, and his co-founder, he said.