More than a century after being founded above a hat shop in London's financial district, the London Metal Exchange (LME) is considering ending its independence. Thanks to the global boom in commodities, trading on the LME has reached record levels, making it an attractive takeover target. In September the company, which is owned by its members, including Goldman Sachs Group, Barclays, and Citigroup, said it had received more than 10 expressions of interest from potential acquirers. The exchange, which says it handles more than 80% of global trade in nonferrous metals futures, is worth about $1.3 billion, according to Diego Perfumo, an exchanges analyst at Equity Research Desk. The LME has operated independently since it started trading tin and copper in 1877, later adding other nonferrous metals, such as aluminum, nickel, zinc, and lead.