Getco on Wednesday disclosed that profit fell sharply in the first nine months of last year, providing a rare insight into how the closely held trading firm has wrestled with slack financial markets.

Chicago-based Getco reported net profit of $24.6m in the nine months to September 30, compared with $134.8m for the same period a year earlier and a fraction of the $430.4m earned during the intense market volatility in calendar 2008.