Investment Banking

Morgan Stanley profits tumble by almost 30% as virus takes its toll

As with rivals, a first-quarter surge in trading revenues was not enough to prevent bottom-line damage

Morgan Stanley profits tumble by almost 30% as virus takes its toll
Photo: iStockPhoto

Morgan Stanley has rounded off the Wall Street earnings season with a familiar tale: surging trading revenues in volatile virus-hit markets have not been enough to prevent a steep fall in profits.

The US bank on Thursday reported net profits of $1.7bn for the first three months of 2020, a fall of almost 30% year-on-year. Revenues for the quarter were down around 7% at $9.5bn compared with the same period in 2019.

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