Goldman Sachs Group Inc reported a 50 percent jump in
quarterly profit as last month's pickup in bond market activity helped to boost
trading revenue, showing that banks sticking with the notoriously volatile
business can reap big rewards. Goldman's fixed-income, currency and commodities (FICC)
business, which once contributed about 40 percent of its revenue, has been on a
declining trend since 2009 as new rules discourage banks from trading on their
own account.
Several big banks have already scaled back their trading
operations or quit the business altogether amid doubts about whether the
industry will ever truly rebound. But that has left Goldman and a few other
banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co, to pick up clients and take advantage
of periods of market volatility such as that seen in September.
Goldman's revenue from bond-trading soared 74 percent to
$2.17 billion in the third quarter as strong U.S. economic data, stimulus
measures by the European Central Bank, and the surprise exit of trading
superstar Bill Gross from giant bond-trading firm Pimco jolted what had been a
listless market.
Goldman's FICC business - its biggest - contributed about 26
percent of overall revenue in the quarter, and its growth far outstripped gains
made by JPMorgan, Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp. Goldman's closest
rival, Morgan Stanley, reports on Friday.
Goldman's shares were down 2 percent at $173.63. Stocks have
been sliding in recent days on worries about the health of the global economy,
and bank shares have been hit hard.
The earnings handily beat market estimates. But
some analysts questioned the quality of the beat, saying much of it was
attributable to Goldman's investing and lending business, which bets the bank's
own money, and that the performance was unlikely to be sustainable because of
tougher regulations.
Revenue from the business rose 15 percent to $1.69 billion.
NO. 1 EQUITY UNDERWRITER
Goldman, also one of the biggest beneficiaries of the
resurgence in equity capital markets this year, said revenue from equity
underwriting rose 54 percent to $426 million.
The bank ranked No. 1 for both equity underwriting and
advisory services in the first nine months of 2014, according to Thomson
Reuters data, helped by its work on big deals including the $25 billion IPO of
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
Net income attributable to common shareholders rose to $2.14
billion, or $4.57 per share, from $1.43 billion, or $2.88 per share, a year
earlier. Total net revenue rose 25 percent to $8.39 billion.
Overall investment banking revenue, which includes M&A,
and debt and stock underwriting, rose 26 percent to $1.46 billion. Compensation
expenses rose 18 percent, but fell as a proportion of revenue. Operating
expenses increased 12 percent.
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