The country’s largest bank just raked in more quarterly profit than any US bank ever.
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) said profits jumped 41% to $21.2 billion in its second quarter, or $7.70 per share, far exceeding the $5.64 per share analyst had expected. Total net revenue rose 28% to $57 billion, compared to $45 billion in the year-ago quarter.
CEO Jamie Dimon said in the earnings release that the blockbuster results “were the product of a particularly favorable environment with an elevated level of market activity, as well as rigorous execution, years of consistent investment and thoughtful capital deployment.”
“The U.S. economy has demonstrated notable resiliency this year,” Dimon added, pointing to several tailwinds including AI-driven capital investment, fiscal stimulus, and deregulation.
“However, several risks are shifting below the surface like tectonic plates, including geopolitical tensions and wars, sticky inflation, large global fiscal deficits and elevated asset prices. We cannot predict how these forces will ultimately play out,” he warned.
JPMorgan said a big profit boost came from a $4.6 billion net gain on the sale of Visa shares held by its corporate division. It also noted $1 billion of gains on certain equity investments. During its prior record quarter in 2024, JPMorgan also recognized gains related to its Visa shares.
Without those one-time gains, the bank’s net income of $16.9 billion would still have far exceeded the Street’s expectations.
JPMorgan’s results kick off what analysts expect will be another strong earnings season for big banks. The industry has been buoyed by a resurgence in Wall Street activity, with its dealmaking and trading businesses benefiting from capital-raising for the AI boom.
For JPMorgan, equity trading jumped 86% from a year ago to a record $6 billion.
The equity underwriting group, which includes underwriting initial public offerings, earned fees from several of the quarter’s biggest AI-related deals. That includes SpaceX’s (SPCX) blockbuster IPO and Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) even larger follow-on stock sale. Revenue from that unit jumped 78% to $829 million.
Other giants, including Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Goldman Sachs (GS), also reported results Tuesday morning.
JPMorgan’s lending business remains a core profit engine. Its net interest income rose 10% to $25.5 billion. The company raised its full-year guidance for net interest income (excluding Markets) by $1.5 billion to $96.6 billion, according to an earnings presentation.