Earnings per share fell to 59 cents from 70 cents in the three months to June 2010.

The net result, excluding exceptional items, was down 4.0 percent to $160 million and earnings per share to 61 cents. Analysts had forecast on average that this figure would be 60 cents per share.

Turnover fell 12 percent to $1.09 billion.

NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse expect to complete their merger by the end of the year to create the biggest market operator in the world covering several segments of activity including financial futures.

The group performed better in spot trading activity and in providing prices, with sales up 2.0 percent to $327 million while sales at the derivatives activities fell 6.0 percent to $213 million.

NYSE Euronext booked charges in the quarter of $12 million for its tie-up with Deutsche Boerse.

Deutsche Boerse reported for the first quarter of this year a 36-percent rise in net profit to 212.8 million euros, topping analyst forecasts for 195 million euros as polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011