Morgan Stanley's profit increased in the fourth quarter, fueled by a wave of dealmaking for the investment bank.

BofA's investment banking fees jumped 44% to $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with a year earlier. Across the industry, global investment banking revenue jumped 26% to $86.80 billion, led by a 33% surge in North America, according to data from Dealogic. BofA earned the third-highest revenue among banks globally.

Investment banking fees gained from a surge in mergers and acquisitions as sentiment was boosted by a strong U.S. economy, interest-rate cuts and expectations of lighter regulation under incoming U.S.

Morgan Stanley’s traders beat analysts’ estimates in the fourth quarter, joining their other Wall Street rivals in reporting a strong end to the year on volatility tied to the US elections and economic data in the final months of 2024.

Morgan Stanley said its profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter, fueled by its investment banking and trading businesses. Profit surged 145% to $3.71 billion. That amounted to $2.22 per share,

Morgan Stanley turned in $3.7 billion of profit in the fourth quarter, up 147% from a year earlier and exceeding analysts’ estimates of $2.7 billion. The New York-based investment bank posted per-share earnings of $2.