Four of Wall Street’s biggest banks reported big rises in second-quarter profits on Tuesday, following a boom in their equities trading businesses.Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup and Bank of America all reported exceptional quarters for equity trading, driven by market volatility including major moves in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks and the SpaceX listing.Citigroup stock traders notched a record revenue haul, leading a slew of the firms’ key business lines in surpassing Wall Street’s expectations. The bank employs around 3,000 people in its Dublin office.Revenue from equities trading surged 45 per cent to $2.3 billion (€2 billion) in the second quarter from a year earlier, about 11 per cent higher than the record set in this year’s opening months. The bank is trying to lure in more hedge funds to grow the franchise, which is smaller than those run by its top Wall Street rivals.Altogether, four of the company’s five main divisions — banking, services, markets and wealth — surpassed analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg, according to figures posted Tuesday. Earnings per share amounted to $3.15, exceeding all 20 analyst estimates.Goldman Sachs exceeded second-quarter profit expectations, as dealmaking picked up pace and market volatility due to the Middle East war boosted ‌the equities business to a record.The equities business fetched revenue of $7.42 billion, surging 72 per cent from a year ago. The fixed income, currency and commodities business revenue also jumped 32 per cent to $4.59 billion. The bank employs around 50 people in the State.Total profit for the bank was $6.63 billion, ⁠or $20.98 per share, for the three months ended June 30. That compares with $3.72 billion, or $10.91 per share, a year earlier. Analysts were expecting ‌earnings ‌of $14.48, ​according to data compiled by LSEG.Bank of America beat estimates for ‌second-quarter profit on Tuesday, benefiting from record trading activity and a surge in dealmaking.Investors remained cautious and reshuffled portfolios amid volatile markets, as US-Iran tensions fueled concerns ‌over global crude supplies, drove oil prices higher and added to uncertainty around interest rates and persistent inflation. The bank has roughly 1,300 employees in the Republic.Large investment banks tend to benefit from volatile markets, as their ​trading desks generate higher revenue from increased client activity.JPMorgan Chase reported a record second-quarter ‌profit on Tuesday, as a wave of big-ticket initial public offering and dealmaking helped drive investment banking fees to their highest levels since 2021, while its trading desk capitalized on volatile markets.Revenue rose across all business units at the bank.Shares of JPMorgan, however, fell 2 per cent in volatile premarket trading after the bank raised its ​forecast for 2026 expenses to $107.5 billion from $105 billion.The largest US lender posted a profit of $21.2 billion, or $7.70 per share, in the three months ended June 30, compared with $14.99 billion, or $5.24 per share, a year earlier.Bank of America’s second-quarter sales and trading revenue jumped 34 per cent to a record $7.1 billion from $5.3 billion a year earlier. Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan had earlier said that the bank was expecting a 15 per cent rise. The bank has 1,100 employees in Ireland.Equities revenue climbed 70 per cent to $3.6 billion.The bank reported a net income of $9.1 ​billion, or $1.21 per share, in the three months ended June 30, compared with $7.2 billion, or 90 cents per share, a year earlier. - The Financial Times/Reuters/Bloomberg