Merrill Lynch reported very strong net revenues and net earnings for the second quarter, pushing first half revenues and earnings to record levels.

Second quarter 2007 total net revenues of US$9.7 billion increased 19% from US$8.2 billion in the prior-year period and were down 1% from US$9.9 billion in the first quarter of 2007. Year-over-year, strong revenue growth in both Global Markets and Investment Banking and Global Wealth Management, as well as across all global regions, drove the increase.

These are the highest net revenues Merrill Lynch has ever generated in a fiscal second quarter and the second-highest the firm has generated for any quarterly period on an operating basis, excluding from the comparison the US$2 billion one-time, pre-tax gain that arose from the merger of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers with BlackRock, Inc. in the third quarter of 2006.

Net earnings were US$2.1 billion, up 31% from the second quarter of 2006 and down 1% from the first quarter of 2007. Net earnings per diluted share were up 37% from the second quarter of 2006 and down less than 1% from the first quarter of 2007. The pre-tax profit margin for the second quarter of 2007 was 31.1%, up 2.4 percentage points from the prior-year period, and the annualized return on average common equity was 22.4%, up 3.8 points. At the end of the second quarter, book value per share was US$43.55, up 17% from the end of the second quarter of 2006.

“We delivered another strong quarter in a volatile and, at times, hostile market environment,” said Stan O’Neal, chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch, in a news release. “These results reflect our revenue diversification, which makes possible strong performance despite uneven market conditions. Our focus on business and revenue growth, expense discipline, and global expansion continues to enhance the earnings power of our franchise.”

Net revenues for the first six months of 2007 set a record, at US$19.6 billion, up 21% from US$16.1 billion in the first half of 2006. Record net earnings per diluted share of US$4.50 were up 117% from the prior-year period, while net earnings of US$4.3 billion were up 104%. Results for the first six months of 2006 included US$1.2 billion, after taxes, of one-time compensation expenses incurred in the first quarter of that period. Excluding those expenses, net earnings per diluted share were up 37% from the prior-year period, while net earnings were up 31%.

The first half pre-tax profit margin was 31.2%, up 13 percentage points from the first half of 2006, or 2.1 percentage points excluding the one-time expenses. The annualized return on average common equity was 22.8%, up 10.9 percentage points from the first six months of 2006, or 3.8 points excluding the one-time expenses.