VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 3, 2026

Stock Comparison

CME Group Inc. vs Xero Limited

Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.

CME Group Inc.

CME · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$97.5B
Gross margin (TTM)86.1%
Operating margin (TTM)65%
Net margin (TTM)58.6%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-30
Moat score
81/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into CME Group Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View CME analysis

Xero Limited

XRO · Australian Securities Exchange

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorTechnology
Industry
CountryNZ
Data as of2026-01-02
Moat score
71/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Xero Limited's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View XRO analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: CME Group Inc. leads (81 / 100 vs 71 / 100 for Xero Limited).
  • Segment focus: CME Group Inc. has 3 segments (81.4% in Trading and Clearing (Derivatives + Cash Markets Platforms)); Xero Limited has 2 segments.
  • Moat breadth: CME Group Inc. has 10 moat types across 5 domains; Xero Limited has 7 across 3.

Primary market context

CME Group Inc.

Trading and Clearing (Derivatives + Cash Markets Platforms)

Market

Exchange-traded derivatives (futures and options) trading and central counterparty clearing; plus electronic cash markets matching (U.S. Treasuries/repo, spot FX) tied to CME platforms

Geography

Global (core U.S. footprint with international participation)

Customer

Institutional and professional traders; commercial hedgers; banks; broker-dealers; futures commission merchants (FCMs); asset managers; proprietary trading firms; governments and central banks

Role

Market operator (exchange/venue) + central counterparty clearing provider

Revenue share

81.4%

Xero Limited

Core Accounting Subscription Platform

Market

Cloud accounting software for small businesses and their advisors

Geography

Global

Customer

SMB; accountants & bookkeepers

Role

Software platform (SaaS)

Side-by-side metrics

CME Group Inc.
Xero Limited
Ticker / Exchange
CME - NASDAQ
XRO - Australian Securities Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$97.5B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
86.1%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
65%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
58.6%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Technology
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
n/a
HQ country
US
NZ
Primary segment
Trading and Clearing (Derivatives + Cash Markets Platforms)
Core Accounting Subscription Platform
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
81 / 100
71 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Legal, Supply, Financial, Demand
Demand, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-30
2026-01-02

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Two Sided NetworkBenchmark Pricing PowerData Workflow LockinSwitching Costs General

CME Group Inc. strengths

Clearing SettlementConcession LicenseScale Economies Unit CostIP Choke PointDe Facto StandardDistribution Control

Xero Limited strengths

Interoperability HubEcosystem ComplementsSuite Bundling

Segment mix

CME Group Inc. segments

Full profile >

Trading and Clearing (Derivatives + Cash Markets Platforms)

Oligopoly

81.4%

Market Data and Information Services

Monopoly

11.6%

Access, Connectivity and Other Exchange Services

Monopoly

7%

Xero Limited segments

Full profile >

Core Accounting Subscription Platform

Oligopoly

n/a

Platform Services (Payments, Payroll, App Ecosystem)

Competitive

n/a

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

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Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.