UPDATE 2-Strong March trading helps OptionsXpress meet St. view
* Q1 EPS $0.23 Vs Est $0.23
* DARTs up 23 pct
* Added 9,700 new accounts in Q1
* To buy Optionetics for about $20 mln
* Shares up 7 percent
(Recasts, adds conference call details, analyst comments, share movement)
By Sweta Singh
BANGALORE, April 28 (Reuters) - Online brokerage optionsXpress Holdings Inc's (OXPS.O: Quote, Profile, Research) quarterly profit slumped 43 percent, but strong trading activity in March and new customer accounts helped it meet Wall Street estimates in the face of a challenging market environment.
"While the economic backdrop weighed on new account growth in the first quarter, we were encouraged that our investor education efforts were successful in attracting new investors to the platform," finance chief Adam DeWitt said in a statement. Continued...
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