Charles Schwab Turned Market Chaos Into Record Q1 Profit

A volatile quarter drove record trading and strong client inflows, lifting revenue 16% and net income to $2.48 billion.

Charles Schwab capped a choppy start to 2026 with a record Q1: revenue rose 16% to $6.48 billion and net income climbed to $2.48 billion.

What does this mean?

Volatility often gets investors moving - and Schwab cashed in as market swings intensified, especially in March. With clients reassessing everything from AI winners and losers to private credit risk, many chose to hedge, rebalance, or simply trade more. Schwab's daily average trades jumped 34% from a year ago to a record 9.9 million, helping trading revenue rise 20%. The firm also widened its footprint: clients opened 1.3 million new brokerage accounts and brought in $140 billion of net new assets, a si..