5 Bank Earnings to Watch as Wall Street Giants Take Center Stage

Second-quarter earnings season begins in earnest Tuesday, July 14, when JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Citigroup (C) all report before the opening bell.

The crowded kickoff should provide an early read on loan demand, consumer credit, deposit costs, dealmaking, and trading activity across the financial sector.

Analysts expect banks to produce strong capital markets results after an active quarter for mergers, initial public offerings, and equity issuance, while elevated volatility supported client trading. Revenue at the largest global banks is expected to increase in the low to mid-teens on a percentage basis from a year earlier. U.S. loan growth accelerated during the quarter, particularly in commercial and industrial lending. Investors will nevertheless watch whether higher funding costs, inflation, or weakening consumer finances offset those benefits.

Among the five banks reporting earnings Tuesday:

• JPMorgan Chase (JPM) offers the broadest view of the banking system because it combines a massive consumer and commercial deposit franchise with leading investment banking and trading operations. Within Consumer and Community Banking, analysts will focus on deposit balances, card spending, loan growth, delinquencies, charge-offs, and credit-loss reserves. In the Commercial and Investment Bank, attention will turn to trading revenue, advisory and underwriting fees, and management’s deal pipeline. JPMorgan previously indicated that second-quarter investment banking fees could rise at least 10%, making execution against that outlook an important benchmark.
• Bank of America (BAC) is especially sensitive to the relationship between asset yields and deposit costs. Investors will examine net interest income, net interest margin, consumer-deposit retention, mortgage activity, and commercial-loan growth. Its Global Markets division may provide an additional catalyst: management has suggested market revenue could surpass its earlier expectation for 15% growth, with equities leading. Analysts will also look for improving investment banking fees and disciplined expense growth.
• Goldman Sachs (GS) has a different earnings profile. Unlike the large commercial banks, Goldman has a smaller traditional lending and deposit engine and relies more heavily on Global Banking and Markets. Trading results, merger advisory, equity underwriting, and the investment banking backlog will therefore dominate the report. Goldman entered earnings season after advising on more than $1 trillion of announced mergers and acquisitions during the first half of 2026. Its Asset and Wealth Management division will also be scrutinized for management fees, private-market fundraising, asset realizations, and progress toward steadier recurring revenue.
• Wells Fargo (WFC) remains the most domestically focused traditional lender in the group. Analysts will concentrate on net interest income, deposit pricing, consumer and commercial loan growth, credit-card performance, auto lending, and commercial real-estate exposure. Management has said net interest income should “step up” in the second quarter. Investors will also assess expense control and whether Wells Fargo is successfully expanding fee-based businesses such as wealth management and investment banking.
• Citigroup (C) sits between the commercial bank and investment and trading models. Its global deposit and lending operations matter, but Services and Markets are central to the investment case. Analysts will watch Treasury and Trade Solutions, Securities Services, fixed-income and equity trading, investment banking revenue, and U.S. Personal Banking card trends. Citi expects trading revenue to rise by a high-single-digit to low-double-digit percentage and investment banking revenue by a mid-teens rate. Just as important will be expenses, restructuring progress, and management’s path toward higher returns on tangible common equity.

Together, the five reports should reveal whether banks can convert stronger trading, deal activity, and loan demand into durable earnings growth without sacrificing credit quality or margin discipline.

This material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a personalized recommendation or investment advice. Investors should review investment strategies for their own particular situations before making any decisions.

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Data contained herein is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. All events and times listed are subject to change without notice.