Canadian exchange operator TMX Group (X.TO), which is the target a friendly takeover by the London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) said on Thursday it has taken a 50 percent stake in Australia's PCF MinesOnline.com Ltd.

TMX, the owner of the resource-heavy Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange, did not disclose the price paid for MinesOnline, a website used by buyers and sellers of mines and exploration assets.

MinesOnline has over 4,000 subscribers and attracts about 10,000 visits a month, it said.

TMX and the London exchange announced this week that they planned to link up in a deal that would create the world's fourth-largest trading center, with a market capitalization of about C$6.9 billion and a heavy emphasis on resource and energy stocks.

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