Strong Equity Market Activity In Q4 Boosts Underwriting Fees For Banks

Global equity markets saw a marked turnaround from the extremely slow Q3 to record the strongest quarter in three years for Q4 2013, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters. Companies across the globe raised $264.4 billion through IPOs and follow-on offerings in the last quarter - a good 82% higher than the $145.1 billion figure for the third quarter and the best since the bumper $350 billion proceeds seen in Q4 2010. Solid performance over the first half of the year helped equity underwr...