Banks’ Trading Revival May Last
Fixed-income trading, long in decline, rebounds at J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup
By Aaron Back Oct. 14, 2016 10:21 a.m. ET
At. J.P. Morgan, fixed-income trading revenue surged by 48% in the third quarter to $4.3 billion from a year ago. ENLARGE
At. J.P. Morgan, fixed-income trading revenue surged by 48% in the third quarter to $4.3 billion from a year ago. Photo: mike segar/Reuters
Strong trading revenue helped J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup turn in solid third-quarter earnings. Such episodes have been short-lived in recent years, but there is reason to believe that the good times may linger.
At J.P. Morgan, fixed-income trading revenue surged by 48% from a year earlier to $4.3 billion. At Citigroup it rose 35% to $3.5 billion. Though overall net profit declined from a year earlier at both banks, they both solidly beat analyst expectations.
J.P. Morgan Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake attributed the increased activity to a host of factors, including the Brexit referendum, central bank actions around the world and new money market regulations, all of which prompted massive portfolio repositioning by clients.
This increase in global volatility is most welcome to Wall Street trading houses. Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley, as well various European banks, also stand to benefit.
Trends in other investment banking businesses were less clear. At J.P. Morgan, advisory, equity and debt underwriting all rose from a year earlier. But at Citigroup, only debt underwriting rose, while advisory was flat and equity underwriting fell.
Whether fixed-income trading revenues can sustain their third-quarter rebound will be a key topic of debate among investors and analysts. This business has been on a declining trend for years. Regulations limiting the amount of risk that banks can take on their books play a role. So does the slow transition toward more electronic trading of fixed-income products.
But perhaps most important has been the role of central banks in suppressing volatility, with huge government bond purchases and ultralow interest rates. This may be starting to change, at least in the U.S. The Federal Reserve appears to be preparing for another rate increase by the end of the year, which will push more investors to rejigger their portfolios.
And while the Brexit referendum is over, the exact manner of the U.K.’s exit from the European Union is very much up in the air. The recent sharp declines in the pound, on hints of a so-called hard Brexit, amount to a second shock. With a yearslong negotiation process ahead, this foreign-exchange volatility isn’t going anywhere.
It may not be enjoyable for many investors. But for the likes of J.P. Morgan and Citigroup, the return of bond and currency volatility is like water in a desert.
Write to Aaron Back at
aaron.back@wsj.com