Wall Street pauses Thursday, with stocks little moved in early trade. Strong bank earnings keep rolling in and Senate questions Trump's Treasury pick.

Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase kicked off banks earnings season with blowout results. Here's what it could mean for hiring across Wall Street.

Even as trading and dealmaking surge, lending growth is muted.

Wall Street banks JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup notched up strong rises in profits at the end of last year, powered by a boom in trading and dealmaking. JPMorgan’s net earnings rose 50 per cent per cent to $14bn,

"I think for a lot of people, predicting the negative has been painful," Lazard's Ron Temple said.

Citigroup reported earnings of $1.34 per share for the fourth quarter, surpassing Wall Street estimates of $1.22. A year ago, the bank posted a loss of $1.16 a share. Shares rose 3.6% in premarket trading.