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GS and MS Q4 Earnings Surge While JPM Navigates Timing
The narrative coming out of bank earnings this week isn't about weakness in investment banking—it's about where the strength concentrated. JPMorgan's 5% year-over-year decline in fourth-quarter investment banking fees caught the headlines and sent the stock down...
Reading the Earnings Tea Leaves : The Deals Got Pushed, Not Pulled
Bank earnings show a Q4 timing shift, not a confidence problem JPMorgan's 5% year-over-year decline in fourth-quarter investment banking fees was the number that caught everyone's attention. The stock dropped nearly 3% despite an overall earnings beat—$5.23 per share...
Why This Investment Banking Recruiting Cycle Feels Different—And Why Uptiering May Be Harder Than Ever
The 2025-2026 lateral market is active, but the rules have changed. Here's what candidates should understand. If you've been following the investment banking lateral market lately, you've probably noticed something interesting: deal activity is strong, banks are...
2025 Investment Banking Bonus Calendar: Payout Dates and Lateral Recruiting Trends
Do Tiers Really Matter in Investment Banking? It Depends.
The tier obsession is one of the most pervasive—and least examined—features of investment banking culture. Walk into any campus recruiting event, scroll any finance forum, or listen to any group of analysts grabbing drinks after a pitch, and you'll hear the same...
The Art of the Humble Flex: How to Signal You’re a Top Performer Without Ever Saying “Top Bucket”
I've Interviewed Hundreds of Banking Candidates. Here's How the Best Ones Show They Were Top Performers Without Ever Saying "Top Bucket" If you've spent any time recruiting for lateral roles in investment banking, you've heard the phrase countless times: "I was top...
2024 Investment Banking Compensation Report
The recently published 2024 Investment Banking Compensation Report by Prospect Rock Partners provides a comprehensive analysis of compensation trends across investment banking. Based on responses from almost 1,000 investment banking professionals (representing 98% of...
The Complete Excel Shortcuts Guide for Investment Banking Analysts
Master the Skills That Separate Top Performers from Everyone Else It's 2:30 AM on a Tuesday. You're still at your desk, squinting at a DCF model that should have been finished hours ago. Your mouse hand is cramping from endless clicking through Excel menus, and you're...
One-on-One Career Counseling
One-on-One Coaching (Meridith Dennes) Reflecting on my own 15-year career journey working at top-tier bulge bracket investment banks and global financial institutions, I understand the complexities and challenges people face when recruiting for a job...
They Hired Over You. Now What?
When banks hire rainmakers from the outside, senior VPs and Directors need a different playbook For many senior Vice Presidents and Directors, the final leap to Managing Director suddenly feels out of reach. A couple of years ago, the path was clearer. Put in the...
Why Lateral Recruiting in Your Promotion Year Almost Never Works
Why Recruiting as AN3, ASO3, or VP3/4 Is Risky—And Why 2025-2027 Makes It Worse You've put in the years—closed deals, pulled all-nighters, proven yourself. Now you're in your promotion year and thinking about making a move. Maybe you want a better platform, the...
2023 Investment Banking Compensation Report
The published 2023 Investment Banking Compensation Report by Prospect Rock Partners provides a comprehensive analysis of compensation trends across investment banking. Based on responses from almost 1,000 investment banking professionals (representing 98% of total...