Is JPMorgan (JPM JPMorgan news) the real "gilded" bank on Wall Street (Wall Street news), the very epitome of financial power? Well, that's a subjective call. But it has emerged as a very strong, well diversified company that doesn't carry the "is it a hedge fund?" baggage and political stigma that dogs Goldman Sachs (GS Goldman Sachs news).

Bloomberg offers more food for thought by noting that JPMorgan was the investment banking league table winner in 2009. The bank raked in nearly $5 billion in fees, a 16 percent increase over 2008, when it was also the leader. Goldman Sachs came in second in total fees but was top ranked in mergers and acquisitions, thanks to some big pharma deals. 

Despite the PR hits the industry as a whole took, it was a decent year. Investment banking fees rose 13 percent in 2009, to $59.8 billion, which remains well below the record $86.9 billion of 2007. JPMorgan seems well positioned across many markets, even consumer markets; it's certainly more than a trading shop. 

For more:
- here's the Bloomberg article

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