NYX Nyse Euronext

Program trading slid last week on the NYSE Euronext's (NYX) New York Stock Exchange as total volume inched up.

The daily program-trading volume average was 520.4 million shares, or 25% of the average total volume of 2.08 billion shares. Those figures were down from 578.8 million shares, or 27.9% of the 2.07 billion-share average volume, posted the previous week.

The most active NYSE member firm for program trading last week was Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), followed closely by Morgan Stanley (MS). Barclays PLC (BCS, BARC.LN) came in a distant third.

Program trading encompasses a wide range of portfolio-trading strategies involving the purchase or sale of a basket of at least 15 stocks.

-By John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2480; john.kell@dowjones.com