Knight Capital Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter earnings fell 48% as the company reports a whooping one-time gain, and discerns increased trades amidst the stock market's decline in the year-earlier quarter.

The company claims its fourth-quarter earnings of $41.8 million, or 44 cents a share, compared with a profit of $79.7 million, or 89 cents a share, a year earlier.

Results topped analysts' expectations, and Chairman and Chief Executive Thomas Joyce noted, "December witnessed the continuation of a year-end decline in broad U. S. equity market volumes. Aside from interest generated by large secondary offerings from a few banks to repay TARP, trading activity was light".

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters most recently augur earnings of 31 cents on $293 million in revenue.

The company segregated its global markets segment into two new parts namely Equities and Fixed Income, currencies and commodities and claim total revenue from the segment climbed just a percent to $302.2 million.

Shares of the Washington Boulevard, Jersey City-based company were at $15.50 in pre-market trade. The stock, which has witnessed a loss of 31% of its value in the last three months, closed at $15.08 on Nasdaq Wednesday.