Organization and Nature of Operations	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Nature of Operations	1. Organization and Nature of Operations We are a leading global exchange group that delivers trading, clearing, exchange technology, regulatory, securities listing, and public company services across six continents. Our global offerings are diverse and include trading and clearing across multiple asset classes, market data products, financial indexes, capital formation solutions, financial services and market technology products and services. Our technology powers markets across the globe, supporting cash equity trading, derivatives trading, clearing and settlement and many other functions. In the U.S., we operate The NASDAQ Stock Market, a registered national securities exchange. The NASDAQ Stock Market is the largest single cash equities securities market in the U.S. in terms of listed companies and in the world in terms of share value traded. As of March 31, 2013, The NASDAQ Stock Market was home to 2,568 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of approximately $5.6 trillion. In addition, in the U.S. we operate two additional cash equities trading markets, three options markets and a futures market. We also engage in riskless principal trading and clearing of over-the-counter, or OTC, power and gas contracts. In Europe, we operate exchanges in Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), and Iceland as NASDAQ OMX Nordic, and exchanges in Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania) as NASDAQ OMX Baltic. Collectively, the exchanges that comprise NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic offer trading in cash equities, bonds, structured products and ETFs, as well as trading and clearing of derivatives and clearing of resale and repurchase agreements. Through NASDAQ OMX First North, our Nordic and Baltic operations also offer alternative marketplaces for smaller companies. As of March 31, 2013, the exchanges that comprise NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic, together with NASDAQ OMX First North, were home to 752 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of approximately $1.1 trillion. We also operate NASDAQ OMX Armenia. In addition, NASDAQ OMX Commodities operates the world’s largest power derivatives exchange, one of Europe’s largest carbon exchanges and together with Nord Pool Spot, N2EX, a marketplace for physical U.K. power contracts. We also operate NOS Clearing, a leading Norway-based clearinghouse primarily for OTC traded derivatives for the freight market and seafood derivatives market. In some of the countries where we operate exchanges, we also provide clearing, settlement and depository services.

1. Organization and Nature of Operations

We are a leading global exchange group that delivers trading, clearing, exchange technology, regulatory, securities listing, and public company services across six continents. Our global offerings are diverse and include trading and clearing across multiple asset classes, market data products, financial indexes, capital formation solutions, financial services and market technology products and services. Our technology powers markets across the globe, supporting cash equity trading, derivatives trading, clearing and settlement and many other functions.

In the U.S., we operate The NASDAQ Stock Market, a registered national securities exchange. The NASDAQ Stock Market is the largest single cash equities securities market in the U.S. in terms of listed companies and in the world in terms of share value traded. As of March 31, 2013, The NASDAQ Stock Market was home to 2,568 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of approximately $5.6 trillion. In addition, in the U.S. we operate two additional cash equities trading markets, three options markets and a futures market. We also engage in riskless principal trading and clearing of over-the-counter, or OTC, power and gas contracts.

In Europe, we operate exchanges in Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), and Iceland as NASDAQ OMX Nordic, and exchanges in Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania) as NASDAQ OMX Baltic. Collectively, the exchanges that comprise NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic offer trading in cash equities, bonds, structured products and ETFs, as well as trading and clearing of derivatives and clearing of resale and repurchase agreements. Through NASDAQ OMX First North, our Nordic and Baltic operations also offer alternative marketplaces for smaller companies. As of March 31, 2013, the exchanges that comprise NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic, together with NASDAQ OMX First North, were home to 752 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of approximately $1.1 trillion. We also operate NASDAQ OMX Armenia.

In addition, NASDAQ OMX Commodities operates the world’s largest power derivatives exchange, one of Europe’s largest carbon exchanges and together with Nord Pool Spot, N2EX, a marketplace for physical U.K. power contracts. We also operate NOS Clearing, a leading Norway-based clearinghouse primarily for OTC traded derivatives for the freight market and seafood derivatives market.

In some of the countries where we operate exchanges, we also provide clearing, settlement and depository services.