By Anjuli Davies
LONDON (Reuters) - Revenue at the world's 10 largest investment banks rose 9 percent to $44.9 billion in the first quarter compared to a year ago, as financial market volatility and central bank stimulus measures boosted profits, a survey showed on Wednesday.
Trading in fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) divisions, which are particularly exposed to economic conditions, were the outperformers, up 5 percent on a constant dollar basis to $22.5 billion, compared with $22.1 billion a year earlier, data from industry analytics firm Coalition shows.
Revenues from FICC have slumped in recent years on the back of tougher regulations and low market volatility, that has prompted investment banks to reshape themselves, shedding staff and exiting certain business lines.
Since 2009 revenues in FICC, which make up about half of investment banks' revenues, have declined by about 50 percent at the top 10 investment banks globally, data from Coalition shows.
A pickup in activity has so far not translated into a pick-up in hiring. Across all the investment banks tracked by Coalition, which include Bank of America Merrill Lynch (N:BAC), Barclays (L:BARC), BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP)
After a normal April, May is proving to be relatively weak for revenue from FICC that could continue into June and see revenues in that division slump 25 percent, JPMorgan analysts said on Tuesday. The first quarter is typically the strongest for investment banks as cash is put to work.
Revenue from banks' equity businesses were another bright spot, rising 20 percent on a constant dollar basis to $12.5 billion, compared to $10.8 billion a year earlier, driven by robust volumes and a rebound in market sentiment.
Investment banking divisions, which advise on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and equity and debt underwriting saw a 5 percent increase in revenues to $9.8 billion in the first quarter, as dealmaking activity and a surge in cross-border deal volumes drove strong profits.
Debt capital markets activity, however, declined 14 percent as revenues from leverage loan issuance decreased significantly, particularly in the Americas.