Investment banks eye potential trading boost from ECB stimulus

Investment banks feeling the pinch from increased regulation since the financial crisis could reap an earnings reward from a boost in trading activity under the European Central Bank's (ECB) trillion-euro quantitative easing (QE) program. The flood of money into markets from the ECB's bond-buying has brought an increase in the volatility that traders crave as investors stake bets on the impact the scheme will have on inflation and long-term interest rates. "QE is likely to underpin a sustained period of strength in euro capital markets," Citigroup said in a research note on Friday. Revenue from fixed income, currencies and commodities trading, the so-called FICC universe, have historically been a rich source of profit for banks, but new capital rules and moves towards electronic trading have squeezed the sector in recent years.

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