JPMorgan continues run as top ranked investment bank

[LONDON] US bank JPMorgan retained its crown as the top performing investment bank in the first nine months of the year, having made revenue of US$17.1 billion in the year-to-date, new data showed on Friday.

In a ranking compiled by industry analytics firm Coalition, US banks dominated the top spots, with Goldman Sachs coming second.

The only European bank to make the top three was Deutsche Bank, which shared third place with Citigroup and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Coalition, which only reports revenue figures for the top-ranked banks, said that total investment bank revenue earned so far this year was 6 percent lower than a year earlier, driven largely by a downturn in fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) divisions.

The top two investment banks in FICC - JPMorgan and Citi - have earned US$8.9 billion this year from those divisions, compared to US$10.1 billion in the same period last year, Coalition's data shows.

Most investment banks have seen trading revenues slump over the past year amid a low interest environment and tougher regulations requiring them to hold more capital, which have driven down returns.

Equities divisions have performed much better, with the top bank Morgan Stanley making revenue of US$4.5 billion in the year-to-date, 15 per cent more than the top bank did a year earlier. Last year's leaders JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs dropped to second.

Revenue at investment banking divisions, whose staff advise on deals, also rose. First-place JPMorgan's year-to-date revenue was US$4.4 billion, almost 5 per cent more than the Wall Street bank made by the same time last year.

Coalition tracks the performance of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and UBS - the 10 largest investment banks globally.

REUTERS