Schwab Total Client Assets Jump 17.6% Y/Y in January Despite Lower NNA

Core Insights - Charles Schwab (SCHW) reported total client assets of $12.15 trillion in January 2026, reflecting a 17.6% increase year-over-year and a 2.1% increase sequentially, attributed to market volatility [1][7] - The company's core net new assets (NNA) were $27.8 billion, which is a decrease of 9.2% from January 2025 and a significant drop of 64.9% from December 2025 [1][7] Performance Breakdown - Client assets under ongoing advisory services reached $6.16 trillion, marking an 18.6% increase from the previous year and a 2.3% increase from the prior month [2] - Average interest-earning assets rose to $441.7 billion, up 2.4% year-over-year and 1.3% sequentially [2] - Margin balances increased to $116.3 billion, showing a 40.3% rise from January 2025 and a 3.6% increase from December 2025 [2][7] Account Activity - The company opened 476,000 new brokerage accounts in January 2026, which is a 9.9% increase compared to the same month last year and stable compared to the previous month [3] - Active brokerage accounts totaled 38.7 million at the end of January 2026, up 5.5% year-over-year and slightly from December 2025 [4] - Client banking accounts reached 2.23 million, reflecting a 10.9% increase from January 2025 and a 1.1% increase sequentially [4] - Workplace plan participant accounts rose to 5.79 million, up 6.3% year-over-year and marginally from December 2025 [4] Market Comparison - In the past three months, Schwab shares have gained 2%, while the industry has seen a growth of 4.5% [5]