LONDON -- Stock exchange operator NYSE Euronext said Friday that its October trading volumes were mostly lower than a year ago, when crisis-level volatility drove record trading levels. The average daily volume of U.S. shares traded dropped 38.9% to 2.9 billion, and in Europe the average daily number of stock transactions dropped 26.1% to 1.6 million. In derivatives trading, the average number of futures and options contracts traded per day fell 12.9% to 3.9 million. U.S. equity options volumes rose 23.3% from a year ago and 63% from September to 3.2 million contracts a day, driven in part by increased trading related to the anticipated sales of an equity stake in NYSE Amex Options as well as pricing changes.

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