* Global derivatives trading average 8.9 million contracts a day
* Rise of 7.8 percent on year driven by U.S. equity options
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LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - NYSE Euronext's derivatives trading volumes increased 8 percent on the year in February, the exchange group said, with an average of nearly 9 million contracts changing hands globally each day.
Although up on the year, average daily volumes last month saw a 1 percent fall from January's levels, the company said on Friday.
NYSE Euronext last month agreed to a $10.2 billion takeover by Germany's Deutsche Boerse, a combination that would dominate exchange-based European derivatives trading.
The merged entity will have more than $20 trillion in annual trading volume, and operations spanning the United States, Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium.
NYSE said the boost to its derivatives trading volumes in February was driven mainly by a 33 percent increase in U.S. equity options volumes, but was partially offset by a 10 percent fall in the average daily volumes of European derivatives.
European cash trading volumes rose 23 percent on the same month last year, while the number of U.S. cash products changing hands saw a 14 percent fall.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan)