2026-01-22
8 分钟Hey listeners, it's Wednesday, January 21st.
I'm David Uberti for The Wall Street Journal, and this is What's News and Earnings,
our look at some of the biggest themes standing out this earnings season.
The health of big banks gives us a snapshot of the state of the economy,
tracking money flowing in and out of Americans' pockets,
as well as the lending and deal-making that makes corporate America run.
This earnings season, that snapshot may be particularly important.
President Trump's economic agenda is coming into focus,
and he's ramped up threats to scramble global trade over his territorial ambitions in Greenland.
The nation's six largest banks collectively bagged $157 billion in profits last year,
up 8% from 2024, and their highest revenue is a group on record.
Today, we'll unpack those results with Anna Maria Andreotis,
the journal's lead financial reporter in New York.
To learn more about that growth, the health of the US consumer,
and what Trump's moves into financial markets could mean for Wall Street and Main Street alike.
And Maria,
you write a lot about how businesses like trading and investment banking are the engines of Wall Street.
How are those engines running heading into 2026?
Those engines right now are very strong.
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley both posted record annual revenues in 2025 in their investment banking and trading divisions.