Program trading fell last week on the NYSE Euronext's (NYX) New York Stock Exchange, although overall trading volume rose.

The daily average was 653.6 million out of the 2.59 billion total shares that changed hands, or 25.2%. That is down from the prior week's rate of 28.6%, or 725.9 million of the 2.54 billion shares that traded on average.

The most active NYSE member firms for program trading last week was Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) at 825 million for the entire period, followed by Morgan Stanley (MS) at 562.1 million and Barclays PLC (BCS) at 342.1 million. Goldman's figure was above the prior week's trading, while Morgan Stanley and Barclays posted declines.

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