In an equity research note Prudential financial analyst David Trone said the investment bank is the most likely candidate to purchase the trading operation, which he has valued at around $1 billion. Merrill Lynch spokesman Michael Duvally said it was not policy to comment on market speculation.

EKT, with around 700 employees, is one of the largest energy trading companies in the US and Europe. It trades power, natural gas, US air pollution credits and weather derivatives. And unlike many of