FXCM's Retail Trading Volume Surged in January

Foreign-exchange brokerage FXCM Inc. said its retail customer trading volume increased significantly in January from a year earlier and edged up from December.

"While it was a challenging month for FXCM due to the unprecedented movement of the Swiss Franc on January 15 and the resulting negative balances of a number of our clients, we were able to generate our second best month ever on the retail side," Chief Executive Drew Niv said, adding the company received net inflows of client funds for the first week of February.

The brokerage accepted a $300 million rescue package from Jefferies Group LLC parent Leucadia National Corp. in January in the wake of steep client losses stemming an unexpected surge in the Swiss franc.

The client losses, which totaled about $225 million, stemmed from the surprise decision of the Swiss National Bank to end its cap on the franc's exchange ratio to the euro.

Retail customer trading volume grew to $450 billion in January, up 32% from the previous January and 3% higher than December. Average retail customer trading volume per day of $21.4 billion increased 38% from January 2014 and 2% from December.

The firm saw an average of 662,080 retail client trades per day for the month, increases of 61% from January 2014 and 11% higher than the previous month.

Mr. Niv also said FXCM's institutional business was affected somewhat in the month by the Swiss bank decision, and a number of its institutional customers' prime brokers initially disconnected from FXCM. However, all but one are back with the brokerage.

Institutional customer trading volume of $255 billion in January was 39% higher than the previous January and 21% lower than December.

Write to Lauren Pollock at [e-mail]

Access Investor Kit for FXCM, Inc.

Visit http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US3026931069

Access Investor Kit for Leucadia National Corp.

Visit http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US5272881047

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires