By Jaiveer Shekhawat and Lananh Nguyen

(Reuters) -Jefferies Financial Group Inc on Tuesday posted second-quarter profit that edged past analysts’ estimates as robust performance in the investment bank’s capital markets business cushioned a slump in dealmaking.

The New York-based firm’s results are a precursor to earnings from Wall Street titans such as JPMorgan Chase & Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley <MS.N>, which report in mid-July.

Investment banking net revenue tumbled 26% to $510 million at Jefferies, weighed down by subdued mergers and acquisitions, while capital markets net revenue surged 30% to $543 million in the quarter.

“For a difficult period in the world, and for a down-cycle moment, the operating business did fine,” Jefferies President Brian Friedman told Reuters.

The challenges during second quarter included “the fallout from the regional banking crisis, the government-supported forced merger of Credit Suisse and UBS, and the tumultuous process of extending the U.S. debt ceiling,” Friedman and CEO Richard Handler said in a statement.

Excluding one-time items, Jefferies posted a profit of 28 cents per share that beat analysts’ estimates of 27 cents, according to calculations by Refinitiv IBES.

June has also brought “green shoots” in its investment banking and capital markets business, the bank said.

Its shares recovered some lost ground and were last down 1.4% in extended trading.

Jefferies has recruited 21 new managing directors in investment banking since the start of its 2023 fiscal year. That is a sharp contrast with larger rivals, such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley , which have laid off thousands of employees.

“It is frankly easier to hire in periods of competitive dislocation and cyclical lows,” Friedman said. “We can’t let an opportunity go to waste.”

The senior hires left major banks for Jefferies because “its entrepreneurial and nimble nature appealed to them,” he added.

Total net revenue at Jefferies fell 22% to $1.04 billion.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) earlier this year combined its U.S. equity and M&A business with Jefferies.

The deal, which will also see SMBC parent Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group boosting its stake in Jefferies to as much as 15% from 4.5%, will allow Jefferies to offer more lending capabilities.

(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru and Lananh Nguyen in New York; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and David Gregorio)

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