DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 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
