A group of 10 large banks—including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America and Barclays PLC—saw their commodities revenues increase by 55% in the first quarter, according to Coalition, a firm that analyzes the performance of investment banks. After a disappointing 2010, commodities was the fastest-growing segment in banks' fixed-income businesses in the first three months of this year, even though it still accounts for just 7% of banks' total fixed-income revenues, Coalition said.

Commodities trading is a bright spot for institutions that face new regulatory clampdowns on practices that previously fattened bank profit margins, such as trading with their own capital and slapping customers with hefty "overdraft" fees.

This is a story out of yesterday's edition of The Wall Street Journal..and the link is here.