Morgan Stanley's profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter, fueled by a wave of dealmaking and stock sales that drove its revenue to a full-year record.

Morgan Stanley’s traders beat analysts’ estimates in the fourth quarter, joining their other Wall Street rivals in reporting a strong end to the year on volatility tied to the US elections and economic data in the final months of 2024.

Morgan Stanley said its profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter, fueled by its investment banking and trading businesses. Profit surged 145% to $3.71 billion. That amounted to $2.22 per share,

Morgan Stanley easily beat fourth-quarter profit and revenue estimates on strong equity trading and IPO activity.

Morgan Stanley turned in $3.7 billion of profit in the fourth quarter, up 147% from a year earlier and exceeding analysts’ estimates of $2.7 billion. The New York-based investment bank posted per-share earnings of $2.

Morgan Stanley’s stock outpaced gains in other financial stocks Thursday, after the bank and broker forecast a robust flow of deals as it beat both profit and revenue expectations for the latest quarter.

Key Takeaways Major U.S. indexes were little changed at midday Thursday after Wednesday's big gains powered by strong bank earnings and a softer-than-expected inflation report.Morgan Stanley shares gained after the financial firm topped earnings and revenue estimates.