Citi sees quarterly investment banking slide, markets business rise

People stroll beneath a Citibank department symbol in the money district of San Francisco, California July 17, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo

June 15 (Reuters) – Citigroup (C.N) world wide head of markets Andy Morton advised an trader conference on Wednesday that he expected a decrease of as much as 55% in the bank’s investment banking business enterprise this quarter and an increase of in excess of 25% in its marketplaces business enterprise.

Citi was outperforming the S&P 500’s bank index (.SPXBK), up 1% on the day, with the firm’s shares final up 2.6% at $47.14 on the lookout established for its next straight working day of gains immediately after a four-day offer-off in which it dropped more than 12%.

Morton, speaking through the webcast of a Morgan Stanley convention, claimed a slump in issuance and in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) thanks to the macro financial and geopolitical situation were being powering the expenditure banking drop.

“Our belief is that the wallet is down 50%-55% in financial investment banking, and our assessment is that we are heading to arrive in proper all over that people type of levels,” Morton mentioned.

But he stated Citi’s markets small business was a distinctive tale owing to market volatility throughout all property which includes commodities and overseas exchange, just one of its critical segments.

Morton said his existing estimate was for a 2nd-quarter year-about-year profits improve “north of 25%” in marketplaces, even though the govt mentioned volatility also intended the condition could adjust promptly.

“Just provided the volatility, you know, even in two weeks, when you happen to be possessing moves like we are possessing in the past handful of days or so, that selection could obviously fluctuate,” he claimed, introducing company exercise was up about a 3rd for the next quarter.

Considering that Citi’s preset profits marketplaces business enterprise was significantly greater than its fairness small business, the government mentioned Citi was on the lookout for “lower hanging fruit” to expand in equities, which include looking for to secure equities business enterprise from its fixed revenue clientele.

Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Sinéad Carew Enhancing by Edmund Blair

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