Deutsche Boerse third quarter lifted by higher trading activity

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German exchange operator Deutsche Boerse's said its operating profit more than doubled in the third quarter, helped by a increased trading activity, and flattered by the absence of legal expenses which had burdened the year-earlier quarter.

Quarterly earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) came in at 232.5 million euros (182.86 million pounds), beating an average expectation of 219 million euros in a Reuters poll of banks and brokerages, and up from 101 million euros a year earlier.

Revenue at the Xetra cash market segment dipped when compared to the year-earlier period but market activity had picked up in recent months, the company said on Monday.

Gregor Pottmeyer, Deutsche Boerse AG's chief financial officer said, "Trading activity on the group's markets picked up significantly at the end of the third quarter."

An increase in revenue at Eurex, the derivatives segment, and at Clearstream, the post-trade segment, as well as more growth in the Market Data + Services segment further helped boost results.

Company earnings were hit in the third quarter last year by a provision of 112.5 million euros linked the possible violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Jonathan Gould, editing by David Evans)