Pedestrians walk past the New York Stock Exchange, Jan. 24, 2022, in New York. Soaring profits on Wall Street helped drive up the average bonus paid to employees in New York City's securities industry to a record $257,500 for last year, the state comptroller reported Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Soaring profits on Wall Street helped drive up the average bonus paid to employees in New York City’s securities industry to a record $257,500 for last year, the state comptroller reported Wednesday.
The average securities industry bonus was 20% higher than 2020 and came out of a bonus pool that grew to $45 billion, according to annual estimates from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
DiNapoli cited pretax profits through the first three quarters of 2021 for broker/dealer operations on the New York Stock Exchange, which increased by 19.6% to $44.9 billion.
The securities industry accounts for one-fifth of private sector wages in New York City, despite comprising 5% of private sector employment. The industry also accounted for 18% of state tax collections and 7% of city tax collections in the governments' 2021 fiscal years, according to DiNapoli.
The comptroller said that recent events could drive down near-term profitability and bonus payments.
“Markets are turbulent as other sectors’ recovery remains sluggish and uneven, and Russia wages an inexcusable war on Ukraine’s freedom,” DiNapoli said in a prepared statement. "In New York, we won’t get back to our pre-Covid economic strength until more New Yorkers and more sectors — retail, tourism, construction, the arts and others — enjoy similar success.”
NYC's mayoral race heats up with a socialist candidate aiming to make the city affordable—and rattling the financial sector. Plus: Coinbase's prospects.
Mark Hamrick of Bankrate discusses the jobs market, AI's growing impact on employment, and how markets are reacting to today’s surprising payroll data.
Amanda Chu of POLITICO reveals how lawmakers are betting millions on pharma stocks even as Trump threatens tariffs and demands steep drug price cuts. Watch!
Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist, previews soaring summer 2025 travel: record international flights, cheaper fares for Europe & Asia, plus booking hacks.
NerdWallet Senior Economist Liz Renter shares what she's tracking in economic data, with a focus on U.S. household debt and rising credit card balances. Watch!
Chris Versace, CIO at Tematica Research, joins to discuss earnings season trends, Flash PMI signals, Walmart’s strategy updates, and Nike’s evolving outlook.