\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Goldman Sachs reported strong first-quarter earnings on Monday, propelled by increased merger advisory fees as it warned of greater volatility amid geopolitical complexity.<\/strong><\/p>\n The New York-based investment bank scored an 18 percent jump in quarterly profit to $5.4 billion, citing a \u201csignificant increase in completed mergers and acquisitions volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n Revenues rose 14 per cent to $17.2 billion.<\/p>\n While CEO David Solomon did not explicitly flag the US-Israel war against Iran, his statement alluded to heightened international tensions.<\/p>\n \u201cGoldman Sachs delivered very strong performance for our shareholders this quarter, even as market conditions became more volatile,\u201d Solomon said in an earnings PowerPoint presentation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe geopolitical landscape remains very complex \u2013- so disciplined risk management must remain core to how we operate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s batch of results marked the third in a row in which Goldman flagged completed deals as a positive driver. Investment banking fees surged 48 percent in the quarter amid the strong mergers and acquisitions (M&A) flow.<\/p>\n The firm also saw an uptick in operating expenses in the period, partly due to the M&A surge. The PowerPoint alluded to \u201csignificantly higher transaction-based expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n Revenues fell for fixed income, currency, and commodities due to weakness in interest rate products and some other categories. However, this was partially offset by increases in commodities and currencies.<\/p>\n Revenues also rose in equities trading.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n