Wall Street bonuses set to grow after a banner year for IPOs and AI

Summary

Wall Street bonuses are set to grow this year after a banner year for IPOs and AI, according to reporting from Semafor and Bloomberg. Semafor reports that pay consultants warn the best of the bonus cycle may be behind them as the AI trade sours and rates climb. Bloomberg reports that bonuses could rise by about 30% for some, with Johnson Associates' Chris Connors saying strong business performance and AI-driven efficiencies could mean bigger rewards for top performers. Bloomberg also reports that competition from frontier AI firms is pushing up pay for elite quant and tech talent.

Timeline

1. Semafor

   10 Nov 2026, 13:06 UTCSource ↗

   Semafor reports that Wall Street bonuses are set to grow after a banner year for IPOs and AI, and that pay consultants warn the best of the bonus cycle may be behind them as the AI trade sours and rates climb.

2. Bloomberg

   10 Nov 2026, 16:39 UTCSource ↗

   Bloomberg reports that Wall Street bonuses could rise by 30% for some, with strong business performance and AI-driven efficiencies behind bigger rewards for top performers, and competition from frontier AI firms pushing up pay for elite quant and tech talent.