NYSE Euronext Unveils Volumes

On Oct. 7, NYSE Euronext, Inc. (NYX - Snapshot Report) announced trading volumes for its global cash equities and derivatives exchanges for September 2009. Trading volumes declined year-over-year as the crisis-level volatility drove near-record trading volumes last year. However, volumes increased from Aug. 2009 levels, with U.S. and European cash products increasing 2.9% and 13.2%, respectively, and U.S. and European derivatives products increasing 30.0% and 24.4%, respectively.

The highlights for the monthly volume data are as follows:

NYSE Group (which includes NYSE, NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex) U.S. cash products handled average daily volumes declined  30.8% to 3.0 billion shares from the prior year but increased 2.9% compared to Aug. 2009.

Year-to-date, total Tape A and Tape B consolidated average daily volumes of 8.0 billion shares increased a combined 32.9% compared to the prior-year period, while Tape C consolidated average daily volumes of 2.3 billion shares increased only 1.4% during the same period.

NYSE Euronext European cash products average daily volumes decreased 20.2% year-over-year to 1.5 million transactions in Sept. 2009, but increased 13.2% from Aug. 2009.

NYSE Euronext European derivatives products average daily volumes decreased 9.3% year-over-year to 4.4 million contracts, but increased 24.4% from the prior month.

NYSE Euronext U.S. equity options average daily volumes increased 49.4% year-over-year and 30.0% on a month-over-month basis to 3.0 million contracts in Sept. 2009.

NYSE Liffe U.S. futures and futures options average daily volumes in approximately 21,000 contracts increased from 12,000 contracts in Aug 2009 with the launch of equity index futures trading in September based on the MSCI U.S., EM and EAFE indexes.

NYSE Euronext is a leading global operator of financial markets and provider of innovative trading technologies. The company's exchanges in Europe and the U.S. trade in equities, futures, options, fixed-income and exchange-traded products. With more than 8,000 listed issues, NYSE Euronext's equities markets  the New York Stock Exchange, Euronext, NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex -- represent nearly 40.0% of the world's equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group.

We maintain our Neutral recommendation on the stock.