澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询

Bulge Bracket: Definition and How It Works

JP Morgan

What Is Bulge Bracket?

“Bulge bracket” is a slang term that describes the company or companies in an underwriting syndicate that issued the largest number of securities on a new issue. The bulge bracket is usually the first group listed on the tombstone—a print advertisement of a new issue.

Bulge bracket is also a catchall term for the most profitable multinational investment banks in the world, whose banking clients are normally large institutions, corporations, and governments. Then 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:there are boutique banks—smaller, younger banks that specialize in certain areas of investment banking and handle sm☂aller deals.

Key Takeaways

  • Bulge bracket is the major company (or companies) involved in an underwriting syndicate for a new issue of securities.
  • The bulge bracket is usually the first name (or group of names) on the print advertisement of the new issue and may also be the manager of the underwriter syndicate.
  • The term can also refer to the top investment banks in the industry, such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

Understanding Bulge Bracket

As the largest firm in an underwriting syndicate, a bulge bracket may also act as the manager or co-manager of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:underwriter syndicate. In the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:investment banking industry, syndicates are formed so that underwriღting companies can share the risks and profits associated with a new security issue with other firms. The larger the new issue, the more firms are likely to take part in the new issue through syndication.

Important

The term “bulge bracket” as a catchall for investment banks is less used since the financial crisis, being replaced with the terms “tier one,” “tier two,” o🅷r “tier three.”

Being in the Bulge Bracket

Beyond firms being involved in underwriting syndicates, bulge bracket may also refer to major investment banks. Bulge bracket investment banks usuallꦿy provide both financing and advisory banking sജervices, in addition to market making, sales, and research for various financial products.

The bulge bracket is usually t🌄he book-running manager or the bank that controls the allocation of securities to investors. It is listed in the larger print above all others and on the prospectus cover.

Example of Bulge Bracket

As a catchall term for this class of large global investment bank, “bulge bracket” commonly refers to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and UBS. As massive multinational banks, these investment banks offer all kinds of services to clients, and many also r𓂃un retail banking operations.

Since the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:global financial crisis of 2008, “bulge bracket” as a catchall term has been somewhat outmoded by the practice of referring to investment banks as tier one, tier two, or tier three investment banks. The only tier one investment bank might be 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:JPMorgan Chase because it ranks first or second globally across most pr🐟oduct areas. Tier two would be Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and Citigroup. Examples of tier three would be UBS, BNP Paribas, ꦇand SocGen.

Warning

Being a bulge bracket bank does not necessarily mean it is rock solid. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers were once bulge bracket banks, and both famously went 🤡under during the 2008–09 financial crisis.

How Many Bulge Bracket Banks Are There?

There are around a d🐠ozen bulge bracket banks today, including:

  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  • Barclays
  • Blackstone
  • Citi
  • Credit Suisse
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Goldman Sachs
  • HSBC
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • Morgan Stanley
  • UBS

Which Is the Biggest Bulge Bracket Bank?

The largest bulge bracket investment bank, by market capitalization, is JPMorgan Chase (JPM), with a market value of around $600 billion as of July 2024. Bank of America (BAC) comes in second, at around a $320 billion market cap.

Which Is the Oldest Bulge Bracket Bank?

JPMorgan Chase is the oldest investment bank still in operation, founded in New York City in 1799 by John Pierpont Morgan.

The Bottom Line

Bulge bracket firms are the major underwriters (or bankers) of a securities issue and the managers of the underwriterও syndicate. These include the biggest and most well⭕-known companies in the investment banking world.

While there is increasing competition from smaller, boutique investment banks, the bulge bracꦡket remains the dominant force in helping companies issue new securities.

Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.
  1. Companies Market Cap. “.”

  2. JPMorgan Chase. “.”

Related Articles