JPMorgan‘s 2015 bonus pool, the money set aside for incentive pay, is expected to be the same as it was in 2014.
Though seemingly uneventful, this reflects that JPMorgan, the world’s largest investment bank by revenue, is performing significantly better than its competitors that are making sizable cuts to their bonus pools. As Options Group Inc. CEO Michael Karp told Bloomberg, “Flat is the new up.”
Deutsche Bank, Europe’s largest investment bank, is expected to reduce its bonus pool by nearly one third of what it was in 2014. Credit Suisse Group AG, Switzerland’s second-largest, is expected to make cuts of up to 60%.
New regulations and compliance have resulted in greater expenses for these banks. JPMorgan‘s revenue during the first 9 months of this year has decreased by 2.7%.
Whether or not these expectations are met depends on the trading environment in December. If it’s especially weak, it could force JPMorgan to condense its bonus pool.