TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (AMTD) reported its daily client
trades declined in January from a year earlier, but moved higher
from a quiet December.
The online brokerage posted an average of 374,000 client trades
per day last month, down 17% from 2011 but up 18% from December.
The December trading period typically hosts lighter trading around
the holidays, although nagging investor fears over a debt crisis in
Europe also added to an end-of-year slowdown.
As of the end of January, the brokerages' client assets totaled
$426.3 billion, up roughly 8% from January 2011 and 5% from
December.
TD Ameritrade last month reported its fiscal first-quarter
earnings edged up 4.8% as a tight control on expenses helped the
online brokerage offset a surprise decline in revenue.
Shares closed Tuesday at $17.06 and were inactive in premarket
trade. The stock is up 9% since the start of the year.
-By Mia Lamar, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-3207; mia.lamar@dowjones.com