Morgan Stanley profit jumps 45% on trading boom

(Reuters) – Morgan Stanley posted a 45% rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, driven by strong trading gains as the coronavirus pandemic whipsawed global financial markets since March.

The bank’s earnings attributable to common shareholders rose to $3.2 billion, or $1.96 per share, in the second quarter ended June 30, from $2.2 billion, or $1.23 per share, a year ago.

(Reporting by C Nivedita and Elizabeth Dilts in New York; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)