I remember when David Gardner recommended Archipelago Holdings. The company's ArcaEx electronic trading platform was busy nibbling away at the established exchanges' market share. He made it one of his earliest picks for Rule Breakers subscribers.

David wasn't the only one to notice. The New York Stock Exchange eventually saw the threat-slash-potential and offered to combine with Archipelago as a roundabout way to go public and stay relevant.

The birth of NYSE Euronext (NYSE:NYX) could have been an ideal exit point for David. The buyout made Archipelago a huge winner, and NYSE was an old-school company in a growth-stock newsletter service. However, he stuck with the combined company. It was the right call.

The NYSE has continued to thrive. In fact, it has proved surprisingly nimble in gobbling up smaller exchanges worldwide. But then, the same can be said for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (NYSE:CME) and the Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ). The waters have been chummed for consolidation, and these sharks are hungry.

So even as the financial-services industry looks for leading discount brokers Charles Schwab (NASDAQ:SCHW), E*Trade (NASDAQ:ETFC), and TD AMERITRADE (NASDAQ:AMTD) to come together, the real acquisitive fervor is kicking up in the exchanges themselves.

And speaking of exchanges, we have two Fools ready to battle it out over the prospects of NYSE Euronext. Anders Bylund is bullish, while Chuck Saletta is back and bearish. Where do you stand? That's what this Duel is all about.

Duel on!

NYSE Euronext has more than tripled since being recommended in the Rule Breakers newsletter service. Schwab is a Stock Advisor pick. Nasdaq is an Inside Value recommendation.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy.