财富FORTUNE·2025-06-13 13:19Core Viewpoint - Top banks, including JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, achieved their best performance in five years in Q1 2025 due to arbitrage opportunities leading to a surge of gold inflows into the U.S. [1] Group 1: Performance and Revenue - Twelve major banks earned $500 million from precious metals trading in Q1 2025, the second-highest figure in a decade, approximately double the average quarterly revenue over the past ten years [1] - The unexpected gains were partly due to high physical gold premiums in the U.S., driven by market concerns over potential tariffs on precious metals [2] - Morgan Stanley delivered 67 tons of gold to the New York Mercantile Exchange in Q1, the highest among all banks, valued at approximately $7 billion at current market prices [3] Group 2: Market Dynamics - The significant rise in gold and silver prices on the Comex far exceeded other international benchmarks, allowing traders to profit by purchasing physical gold in other trading centers and transporting it to the U.S. before tariffs took effect [2] - JPMorgan delivered over $4 billion worth of gold for settling February futures contracts, marking one of the largest single-day delivery notifications in the exchange's history [3] - The arbitrage opportunities were reminiscent of 2020 when the pandemic created long-term profit opportunities for banks that managed to transport physical gold to New York [2][5] Group 3: Market Influences - The market volatility triggered by President Trump's tariff plans contributed to the revenue growth of these twelve banks [6] - The trading volume in the London market has continued to rise against the backdrop of gold prices doubling since late 2022 [6]