Big US banks have seen billions of dollars of losses on their vast portfolios of securities reversed following the recent rally in the price of Treasuries and other assets.
Data released by the Federal Reserve on Friday showed unrealised gains in these portfolios had recovered to $8bn after plummeting into negative territory from June to September, when worries that the central bank might taper its bond-buying programme caused investors to sell securities including US government debt.
The recovery will come as a relief to bank executives who had worried that the paper losses, which reached more than $10bn in early September, would translate into lower regulatory capital ratios under new Basel III proposals.