A row has broken out between Deutsche Börse's shareholders over the German stock exchange operator's acquisition strategy, after US hedge fund Atticus Capital attacked plans for the purchase of a US options exchange.

Deutsche Börse management this morning faced shareholders at its annual meeting in Frankfurt in the wake of revelations that Atticus, the New York hedge fund that is its second biggest shareholder, has expressed "fury" at its plan to buy International Securities Exchange Holdings for $2.8bn.