Morgan Stanley has posted a much higher-than-expected quarterly profit as record revenue from its wealth management business helped offset the blow from a slump in trading activity.
Revenue from the bank's wealth business rose 8.7% to $4.22 billion and generated pretax margin of 26.5%, above chief executive James Gorman's target range of 23-25%.
The results provided some evidence of what management has been promising for nearly nine years - the decision to buy Smith Barney at the height of the 2007-2009 financial crisis has given the smallest of the Wall Street banks a cushion to weather downturns the way some larger rivals do.
"Our third quarter results reflected the stability our wealth management, investment banking and investment management businesses bring when our Sales and Trading business faces a subdued environment," Gorman said in a statement.
The bank said its return on equity was 9.6% for the quarter, within Gorman's goal of 9-11% by the end of the year.
The bank's bond trading revenue, however, fell 20% to $1.2 billion, mirroring declines across the sector.
Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America have all reported steep declines in fixed income trading activity due to a slump in volatility.
Revenue from equities trading, a business in which Morgan Stanley is typically strong, remained flat at $1.9 billion.
The bank said its net income rose 11% to $1.69 billion. Earnings per share rose to 93 cents from 81 cents.
Adjusted earnings was 88 cents per share and topped estimates of 81 cents, according to Thomson Reuters.
Revenue rose 3% to $9.20 billion from a year earlier versus the average estimate of $9.01 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.
Investment banking revenue rose 12.7% to $1.38 billion.
Arch rival Goldman Sachs reported a decline in quarterly profit as gains in investment banking were offset by a 26% drop in fixed-income trading revenue.
