(February 26 – 18:00 ET) – According to data from Bloomberg, investment banking revenues for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. exceeded US$5 billion in 2000, surpassing last year’s leader Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co.

Goldman Sachs picked up an estimated US$5.37 billion from its investment banking businesses, including M&A advisory and stock and bond underwriting, up 23% from 1999. MSDW garnered US$5.01 billion, up 11%.

If revenues from Credit Suisse First Boston and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. were combined for the full year, the recently merged company would come second with US$5.3 billion in total revenue. The combined J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. would rank fourth.

The new megafirms push Salomon Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch down to fifth and sixth place respectively. But with the mergers boosting both CSFB and JP Morgan, CIBC World Markets was able to improve its standing to tenth place with US$1.13 billion in total revenue.

Bloomberg says that Lehman Brothers was the fastest growing firm that didn’t add revenue by acquisition, jumping 32% in the year.

The revenue data were culled from annual reports, earnings statements, documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and interviews with company officials.

“The easiest change in 2001 to predict is that the Credit Suisse numbers are going to fall,” said Mark Constant, a financial services analyst with Lehman. “The question is, how much? And who picks up that share?”
-IE Staff