Saturday, August 15, 2026 See who Washington just made rich Go Pro · $40/mo →
Money Racket
Who Cashes In When Washington Moves
CRYPTOSEC Delays Crypto Rules—Uncertainty PersiststodayWHITE HOUSEWhite House 'Gold Eagle' AI Cyber Clearinghouse Is a Direct Revenue Signal for CrowdStrike and Palantir4 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSKimberly-Clark Pockets $45M Tariff RefundtodayDEFENSEPentagon's Laser Weapon Contracts for Drone Defense Hand a Direct Win to Directed-Energy Specialists4 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSTrump Tariffs on Drones Boost U.S. MakerstodayHEALTHCARE & FDACMS's Proposed 340B Payment Cuts Would Squeeze Hospital Revenue While Helping PBM Rivals4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDASimparica Trio Gets Screwworm EUA—Zoetis WinsyesterdayWHITE HOUSETrump Shrinks Two Utah Monuments by 90%, Opening Land to Mining and Drilling4 weeks agoDEFENSEBlackSky Lands Multi-Year Satellite ContractyesterdayENERGYTrump's Nuclear Push Is Driving a Real Uranium Mining Revival — These Are the Stocks That Collect4 weeks agoTECHFCC Eases Broadband Label Rules—ISPs Win Flexibility2 days agoDEFENSEJohnson's $95 Billion Defense Spending Plan Has Lockheed, RTX, and Northrop Written All Over It4 weeks agoDEFENSEIonQ Lands $28M U.S. Defense Quantum Contract2 days agoTRADE & TARIFFSPepsiCo's Tariff Refund Is a Small Win, But It Points to a Broader Cost Relief Story for Consumer Staples4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAFDA Clears Screwworm Prevention Drug for U.S. Livestock3 days agoENERGYNew Mexico Blocks Oracle's Data Center Gas Pipeline, Exposing the Fragility of Big Tech's Power Build-Out4 weeks agoENERGYNRC Approves NAC MAGNASTOR Spent Fuel Storage Cask3 days agoDEFENSEPentagon's Laser Weapon Contracts for Drone Defense Open a New Revenue Line for Northrop and L3Harris4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAFDA Updates Fresh-Cut Produce Safety Guidance3 days agoCRYPTOT. Rowe Price's Active Multi-Token Crypto ETF Is a Fee-War Warning Shot for Bitwise and Grayscale4 weeks agoWHITE HOUSETrump Orders Childhood Vaccine Schedule Spacing3 days agoTECHBosch's $225M CHIPS Award for Silicon Carbide Puts Wolfspeed and Onsemi on Notice4 weeks agoWHITE HOUSETrump Order Splits MMR Vaccine—Pharma Faces Demand Shift4 days agoENERGYMichigan Renews Enbridge's Line 5 Tunnel Permit, Removing the Biggest Regulatory Overhang on the Stock4 weeks agoDEFENSETrump Pushes $1.5T Defense Budget—Lockheed, RTX, GD Lock in Gains5 days agoENERGYMichigan's Line 5 Permit Renewal Is a Clear Win for Enbridge — and a Setback for Pipeline Opponents4 weeks agoWHITE HOUSEWhite House Drafts Vaccine-Autism Order—Pharma Faces Uncertainty5 days agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS's Site-Neutral and 340B Cuts Would Squeeze Hospital Systems and Hand Wins to Outpatient Rivals4 weeks agoTECHTrump Administration Adds 6 Chipmakers to U.S. Portfolio6 days agoWHITE HOUSEWhite House Cybersecurity Clearinghouse Creates a Direct Revenue Line for CrowdStrike, Palantir, and Microsoft4 weeks agoDEFENSEPentagon Awards Space-Based Target Tracking Contracts6 days agoCRYPTOT. Rowe Price's Active Multi-Token Crypto ETF Is a Fee Story — and a Pressure Test for Bitwise and Grayscale4 weeks agoENERGYMichigan Court Rejects Enbridge Line 5 Permit Under Great Lakes6 days agoWHITE HOUSEWhite House Control Over Frontier AI Access Reshapes the Pecking Order — Microsoft and Oracle Gain, Open-Source Loses4 weeks agoWHITE HOUSEDHS Tightens H-1B/L-1 Visa Fees—Tech Hiring Costs Rise for Employerslast weekHEALTHCARE & FDACMS's Site-Neutral and 340B Reform Proposal Squeezes Hospital Margins and Lifts Independent Pharmacies4 weeks agoTECHU.S. Signs $874M Semiconductor Research LOIs—Chip Makers Get Federal Backinglast weekTECHBosch's $225M CHIPS Award for Silicon Carbide Chips Is a Direct Threat to Wolfspeed's U.S. Market Share4 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSRetailers Sell Off Tariff Refund Rights for Cash—Windfall Monetized Before Payoutlast weekDEFENSEU.S.-Iran Escalation and a Stalled Strait of Hormuz Are a Windfall for Tanker Owners and Defense Primes4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAFDA Approves Tudriqev for Advanced Melanomalast weekWHITE HOUSEWhite House Control Over Frontier AI Access Reshapes Who Wins the Model Race4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAFTC Sues Hims & Hers Over Privacy and Billing Practiceslast weekENERGYNew Mexico's Pipeline Denial Puts Oracle's Data Center Expansion on Ice — and Highlights Every Hyperscaler's Power Risk4 weeks agoMARKETSFTC Threatens Booking Holdings Over Priceline Practiceslast weekENERGYNew Jersey's Nuclear Energy Law Opens a Real Revenue Path for Small Reactor Developers4 weeks agoDEFENSERising Defense Spending Lifts Northrop Grumman Outlooklast weekDEFENSEPentagon's $80M Drone Defense Contract Points to the Counter-UAS Names Worth Watching4 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSTrump Administration Hits $100B Tariff Refund Milestonelast weekDEFENSEU.S.-Iran Conflict Escalation Stalls Hormuz Shipping — Defense Contractors and Oil Majors Are the Immediate Read4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS Raises IRF Payments for 2027—Rehab Hospitals Get Relieflast weekWHITE HOUSETrump's Defense Supply Chain Order Tightens Waiver Rules — Domestic Parts Makers Win, Foreign-Sourced Primes Face Friction4 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS Ends Medicare Part D Subsidy—Drug Plan Insurers Face Margin Pressurelast weekHEALTHCARE & FDACMS Freezes $1 Billion in Medicaid Payments to California and Minnesota — Managed Care Insurers Face Revenue Gaps3 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAHHS Boosts Hospital Payments by $2 Billion—Acute Care Operators Winlast weekTECHBosch's $225M CHIPS Act Award for Roseville Chips Away at U.S. Dependence on Asian Auto Semiconductors3 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSAmazon Pockets $600M Tariff Refund—Retail Rivals Face Margin Squeezelast weekENERGYTrump's Saudi Nuclear Pact Without Enrichment Safeguards Heads to Congress — U.S. Uranium and Nuclear Services Names Are the Play3 weeks agoENERGYMichigan Court Vacates Line 5 Permit—Enbridge Faces Shutdown Risklast weekWHITE HOUSETrump's Critical Minerals Order Cuts China Out of the Defense Supply Chain — and Sends Money to U.S. Miners3 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAHumana Exits MA Markets—600K Members Face Plan Disruptionlast weekCRYPTOWhite House Concedes Ethics Provision in Crypto Bill — Clearing the Last Roadblock for Stablecoin Legislation3 weeks agoWHITE HOUSETrump Blocks Critical Minerals Exports—U.S. Miners Get Protected Marketlast weekDEFENSEHouse Passes $1.15T Defense Bill — Missile Defense, Shipbuilding, and Next-Gen Air Get the Money3 weeks agoDEFENSEHouse Passes $95B Iran War Package—Defense Contractors Lock in Revenuelast weekTRADE & TARIFFSTrump's 50% Canada Tariff Threat Keeps U.S. Aluminum Tight — Domestic Producers Win, Manufacturers Pay3 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDAFDA Revokes Petroleum-Based Food Dyes—Natural Color Makers Winlast weekENERGYNRC Approves Holtec's Upgraded Spent Fuel Storage System — A Quiet Win for Nuclear's Capacity Expansion3 weeks agoTECHCommerce Awards $874M in Semiconductor R&D LOIs—Chip Makers Get Federal Backing2 weeks agoDEFENSEOracle Lands a $7B Pentagon Software Contract — and the Market Should Take It Seriously3 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSAmazon Gets $600M Tariff Refund—Retailers Lift Guidance on Windfall2 weeks agoDEFENSEThe U.S.-Iran War Is Costing $37.5B and Counting — Here's Where That Money Goes3 weeks agoSEARCH DEMANDData Center Power Exchange2 weeks agoENERGYTrump Signs the Saudi Nuclear Deal — and U.S. Uranium and Reactor Companies Are the Quiet Winners3 weeks agoSEARCH DEMANDCasgevy List Price: $2.2 Million2 weeks agoWHITE HOUSETrump's Critical Minerals Order Cuts China Out of the Military Supply Chain — These Miners Fill the Gap3 weeks agoENERGYPHMSA Updates Pipeline Safety Standards—Compliance Costs Hit Operators, Benefit Inspectors2 weeks agoCRYPTOThe Senate's Landmark Crypto Bill Creates Winners Inside the ETF and Exchange Stack3 weeks agoMARKETSSEC Explores 23-Hour Stock Trading—Market Makers and Tech Platforms Get New Revenue2 weeks agoTRADE & TARIFFSTariffs on Indian Pharma Are Coming — and U.S. Generic Drug Buyers Will Pay the Bill3 weeks agoDEFENSEHouse Passes $1.15T Defense Bill—Lockheed, Raytheon, General Dynamics Lock in Revenue2 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS's Star Ratings Overhaul Rescues the Biggest Medicare Advantage Insurers — For Now3 weeks agoDEFENSEPentagon Awards Largest F-35 Spare Parts Contract—Lockheed Locks in Sustainment Revenue2 weeks agoMARKETSChina's $765M Antitrust Fine on Trip.com Is a Warning Shot for U.S.-Listed Chinese Consumer Stocks3 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS Stars Redo Lifts Medicare Advantage Insurers—Rating System Overhaul Favors UnitedHealth, Humana, Anthem2 weeks agoDEFENSEPentagon's $7B Oracle Software Deal Is One of the Cleanest Defense-Tech Wins in Years3 weeks agoCRYPTOSEC Settles Coinbase FOIA Suit Over Missing Gensler Texts—Crypto Compliance Pressure Eases, Coinbase Stock Gains Clarity2 weeks agoDEFENSEPentagon Awards Oracle $7B Software Consolidation Deal—Direct Win for Oracle, Pressure on Smaller Defense IT Rivals3 weeks agoDEFENSEPentagon Awards Oracle $7B Software Consolidation Deal—Cloud Incumbents Face Pressure, Oracle Locks in Defense Revenue2 weeks agoTECHFCC Tightens Submarine Cable Licensing Rules—Tech Giants Face New Compliance Costs, Telecom Carriers Gain Regulatory Clarity3 weeks agoDEFENSERocket Lab Wins $266M Space Force Missile Defense Contract—Suborbital Launch Niche Gets Federal Validation2 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS Overhauls Medicare Advantage Star Ratings—UnitedHealth, Humana, and Anthem Positioned to Gain from Simplified Metrics3 weeks agoHEALTHCARE & FDACMS Overhauls Medicare Advantage Star Ratings—Big Insurers Win, Quality Metrics Tighten3 weeks agoDEFENSEHouse Passes $1.15 Trillion Defense Bill—Lockheed, Raytheon, and General Dynamics Positioned for Record Spending3 weeks agoDEFENSERocket Lab Wins $266M Space Force Contract—Suborbital Launch Capability Becomes Defense Asset3 weeks agoDEFENSEPentagon Awards Oracle $7B Software Consolidation Deal—Largest Defense IT Overhaul in Years3 weeks ago
1 free article left this week. A free account gets you 4 a week.Go Pro →
Finance

The M&A Thaw: How a Friendlier DOJ and FTC Print Fees for JPMorgan and Goldman

When antitrust enforcers stand down, the pent-up deal pipeline unlocks — and Wall Street's advisory machines collect a toll on every transaction.

Image: Money Racket
By at Money Racket · May 28, 2026

Washington does not need to cut a check to move money on Wall Street. It just needs to change who is sitting in the antitrust chair.

The current administration has signaled a materially softer merger review posture at both the DOJ Antitrust Division and the FTC. The prior enforcement era was defined by an aggressive "block first, litigate later" doctrine that froze strategic acquirers in place — boards were unwilling to announce deals they expected regulators to fight for two years. The result was a historic backlog. Private equity shops sat on dry powder. Corporate development teams warehoused signed term sheets. Bankers billed pitchbooks that never became mandates.

That dam is cracking. When antitrust risk recedes, companies that have been sitting on strategic rationale — competitive consolidation, technology bolt-ons, geographic expansion — begin pulling triggers. Every signed deal generates advisory fees, fairness opinions, financing fees, and underwriting spreads. Unlike lending, those revenues carry almost no incremental capital cost. They fall straight to the bottom line.

Advisory and underwriting revenues carry almost no incremental capital cost. They fall straight to the bottom line — which is why a policy shift at the DOJ is, mechanically, a Goldman earnings call.

Who cashes in

JPM (JPMorgan Chase) is the structural beneficiary. JPMorgan consistently ranks No. 1 or No. 2 globally in M&A advisory volume, and its investment banking division is a high-margin, low-capital business sitting inside a fortress balance sheet. A sustained volume recovery goes directly to fee income with no reserve requirements attached.

GS (Goldman Sachs) may be the purest play. Advisory and underwriting make up a larger share of Goldman's revenue mix than any other bulge-bracket firm. When deal volume stalls, Goldman feels it acutely; when it recovers, the operating leverage cuts the other way. A return to normalized M&A activity is not a tailwind for Goldman — it is the business model working.

MS (Morgan Stanley) rounds out the primary beneficiaries. Its institutional securities segment captures advisory and equity underwriting, and the firm has deepened its financial sponsor relationships, which are among the most deal-active clients as rate conditions stabilize.

BAC (Bank of America) participates through its Merrill Lynch platform, though its revenue mix is more tilted toward net interest income than pure advisory. It benefits, but less cleanly than the pure investment banking houses.

Who is exposed

Antitrust leniency is not uniformly good news. V (Visa) and MA (Mastercard) have spent years navigating DOJ and FTC scrutiny over their network duopoly. A dealmaking-friendly administration that nonetheless takes a populist posture on consumer financial infrastructure could subject both to renewed payment-network competition reviews. Neither benefits from a regime that simply lets large strategics merge — they are the large strategics regulators have historically targeted.

What to watch

Track the announced M&A deal count in rolling 90-day windows. When advisory backlog converts to closed transactions, JPM and GS earnings calls will show it in investment banking revenue lines — a figure both firms break out explicitly. That is the confirmation signal.

Source: original report ↗

Free alerts

Free: catalyst alerts, straight to your inbox.

Get the White House orders, federal contracts, and FDA decisions that move money — with who cashes in — free. Unsubscribe in one click.

Free · weekly · unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.

Stay three moves ahead of every practice in your market.

Knowing it happened is table stakes. Money Racket Pro hands you the play — what each move means for your margins, your license, and your patients, and exactly what to do about it — in a two-minute brief, twice a week. The owners who read it never get blindsided.

Get the edge · $40/mo

Join the owners who run ahead of the industry. Cancel anytime, one click.

Share

https://moneyracket.com/article/ma-thaw-doj-ftc-jpm-gs-advisory-fees/

Discussion

    Leave a comment

    Comments are reviewed before they appear.
    Money Racket Pro

    By the time it's news, the money's already moved.

    The contract award, the executive order, the tariff cut — it mints winners before the financial press connects the dots. Pro gets you there first: what happened, who cashes in, and exactly what to watch — in a two-minute read.

    Go Pro · $40/mo The policy-to-profit brief. Cancel anytime.
    The pre-market brief · Mon–Sat, 7:45am ET Go Pro · $40/mo →