Trading commissions keep rolling in.
Interest rates are low and probably won t threaten the stock market anytime soon.
Corporate mergers continue at a blistering pace, meaning that investment banking fees will keep piling up. And don t forget that the love affair between investors and mutual funds seems to grow by the hour. That s a marked change from just six months ago. The third quarter had just started when the shine on brokerage stocks tarnished overnight. First came Russia s debt debacle.