Jan 16 (Reuters) -

Bank of America ( BAC ) reported higher profit on Thursday

as its traders benefited from a flurry of activity in the fourth

quarter while the lender predicted it would earn more interest

income in 2025.

The earnings mirror those of rivals across Wall Street

including JPMorgan ( JPM ), Goldman Sachs ( GS ), Wells Fargo ( WFC )

, and Citigroup ( C/PN ), whose results were buoyed by

stronger equity markets and investment banking.

"Every source of revenue increased, and we saw better than

industry growth in deposits and loans," CEO Brian Moynihan said.

"This broad momentum sets up 2025 very well."

The second-largest U.S. lender's net income rose to $6.7

billion, or 82 cents per share. That compares with $3.1 billion,

or 35 cents per share, a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BofA earned 82 cents per share in

the fourth quarter, beating analysts' expectation of 77 cents

per share, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.

Shares of the bank rose 2.7% in premarket trading.

BofA's sales and trading revenue rose 10% in the quarter,

the 11th consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth, as equities

jumped 6% while fixed income, currencies and commodities rose

13%.

Equity markets have rallied in the fourth quarter

following the U.S. presidential election as investors bet on a

more business-friendly environment under President-elect Donald

Trump.

The S&P 500 stock index had a banner year, closing

23.3% higher in 2024 after racking up 57 all-time closing highs.

Meanwhile, Wall Street profits rebounded last year as

mergers and acquisitions recovered from a decade-low in deal

volumes in 2023.

Bankers anticipate a stronger 2025 for dealmaking, helped by

President-elect Donald Trump's vow to implement pro-business

policies.

BofA's investment banking fees jumped 44% to $1.7 billion in

the fourth quarter, compared with a year earlier, but overall

net income for its global banking unit fell as its expenses rose

for personnel and technology.

Across the industry, global investment banking revenue

jumped 26% to $86.80 billion, led by a 33% surge in North

America, according to data from Dealogic. BofA earned the

third-highest revenue among banks globally.

NII TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN 2025

BofA's net interest income (NII) - the difference

between what banks earn on loans and pay out for deposits - rose

3% to $14.4 billion in the quarter, compared with a year

earlier, driven mainly by market activity, fixed-rate asset

repricing and loan growth.

The figure beat analysts' mean forecast of $14.27

billion in the fourth quarter.

That marks the first time BofA has posted year-on-year

NII growth since the third quarter of 2023.

NII also rose from $14 billion in the third quarter. The

bank had forecast NII to be $14.3 billion or above in the fourth

quarter.

BofA expects NII of $14.5 billion to $14.6 billion in

the first quarter on a fully taxable-equivalent (FTE) basis,

higher than analysts' expectation of $14.36 billion.

The bank also expects NII to grow in this quarter to

between $14.5 billion and $14.6 billion and eventually climb in

the fourth quarter to a range of $15.5 billion to $15.7 billion.

Higher interest rates had crimped NII in recent quarters

as lenders shelled out more to hold onto customers' deposits.

Moynihan said last month that he expects to see NII grow

throughout 2025.

BofA's NII is also expected to benefit from fixed-rate

assets and securities portfolio repricing over time into

higher-yielding assets.

A steeper yield curve is also positive for banks as they

can borrow money at lower short-term rates and lend at higher

long-term rates, bolstering their interest income.

BofA stock gained 30.5% in 2024, underperforming rivals

JPMorgan ( JPM ), Wells Fargo ( WFC ) and Citigroup ( C/PN ) as well as the KBW Bank

Index.

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru and Saeed Azhar

in New York, Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Anil D'Silva)