Jefferies profit jumps more than four-fold on strong trading
Jeffries Group, the investment banking unit of Leucadia National, reported net earnings of $87.18m in Q4 2016, up from $19.96m year on year. Investment was low last year because investors were scared off by uncertainty over US interest rates, the Chinese slowdown, and a sharp drop in oil prices. Revenue from equities and fixed-income products doubled to $325m as trading surrounding the US presidential election and the Brexit vote added to market volatility. Jeffries is traditionally the first bank to report profits, and is viewed as a bellwether for the industry.
Jefferies Group, the investment banking unit of Leucadia National , reported a sharp increase in quarterly profit on Tuesday, driven by strong revenue in its equities and fixed-income securities trading business.

Net earnings attributable to Jefferies jumped to $87.18 million in the fourth quarter ended Nov. 30 from $19.96 million a year earlier, when investors were scared off by uncertainty over U.S. interest rates, a slowdown in China and a sharp drop in oil prices.

Equities and fixed-income revenue more than doubled to $325.38 million as trading surrounding the U.S. presidential election added to the market volatility sparked by Britain's Brexit vote.

Jefferies' investment banking revenue rose 11.3 percent to $415.07 million in the quarter, boosted by higher fees from advising on mergers and acquisitions.

New York-based Jefferies traditionally kicks off the reporting season for investment banks and is often viewed as an indicator of the performance of bigger Wall Street banks.