Investment Banking Industry Profile

The US investment banking industry includes about 3,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $200 billion. Major companies include Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, and Lazard. Investment banking is highly concentrated: the largest 50 firms hold 90 percent of the market.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by economic activity that results in company mergers, acquisitions, or public financing. The profitability of an investment bank depends on its ability to accurately assess both the value of a business transaction and the readiness of the market to buy the attendant debt or equity. Big firms have an advantage because large customer transactions require firms with substantial financial resources. Small investment banks can compete by participating in syndications and operating in regional markets or specialized industries. Although labor-intensive, the industry produces very high value: average annual revenue per employee at large firms is under $1 million.

The global financial crisis of 2008-2009 dramatically altered the landscape of the investment banking industry. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the only large firms still intact, have changed their status from investment banks to bank-holding companies. Both firms still engage primarily in investment banking, but former industry leaders such as Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and Lehman Brothers have either been acquired or have filed for bankruptcy protection. The demise of these firms and the late 2000s recession have likely ushered in a new era in which the creation of ...