NYSE Euronext reports big loss in fourth quarter

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (Chinese media) -- NYSE Euronext reported a net loss of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, or 5.06 dollars per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The net loss for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2008 includes a pre-tax non-cash charge of 1. 59 million dollars, primarily for the impairment of certain goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets related to the merger of NYSE Group and Euronext, the group said in a statement.

Gross revenues were up 21 percent in the fourth quarter and 19 percent for the full year, driven by increased volumes across all venues and pricing changes in the U.S. and European cash markets.

Excluding the goodwill charge as well as expenses as it closed its acquisition of the America Stock Exchange and other special items, earnings were 137 million dollars, or 52 cents per share during the quarter.

NYSE Euronext's revenue rose to 1.22 billion dollars from 1.1 billion dollars during the same quarter a year earlier.

NYSE Euronext expects derivatives pricing to remain stable in 2009, but pricing in U.S. and European cash equities is expected to fall during the year.

For the full year, NYSE Euronext lost 738 million dollars, or 2.78 dollars per share.

Spanning multiple asset classes and six countries, NYSE Euronext's exchanges include the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Liffe, the leading European derivatives exchange by value of trading, Euronext and NYSE Arca.

With more than 6,500 listed issues, more than any other exchange group, trading on NYSE Euronext's equity markets represents more than one-third of the world's cash equities volume.