IHS Markit, based in London, has a market value of about $37 billion; S&P’s is about $82 billion. The deal would combine one of the oldest names in financial markets with a relative newcomer. S&P traces its roots to an 1860 compendium of information for railroad investors and is best known for its bond ratings and its iconic stock-market indexes, which serve as shorthand for the health of global markets. IHS Markit, formed in 2016 by the merger of two smaller players, tracks millions of data points in financial markets. It owns software that big Wall Street banks use to underwrite corporate stock and bond offerings, and tracks transportation and energy data, the latter of which could pair with S&P’s commodities business, Platts. Financial data has exploded over the past two decades as markets sped up and computer-driven investment strategies replaced human stock pickers. The success of Bloomberg LP, […]