JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo all topped Wall Street's expectations in third-quarter results, signaling continued strength in lending, trading and consumer banking even as the broader economy sends mixed signals.

JPMorgan Chase posted profit of $14.39 billion, or $5.07 a share, up 12% from a year earlier. Investment banking fees jumped 16% as merger and stock-offering activity picked up, and the bank notched a record third-quarter Markets revenue of nearly $9 billion.

Goldman and Wells Fargo Also Surge

Goldman Sachs reported an even sharper jump: net profit rose 37% year-over-year to $4.1 billion, with revenue up 20% to $15.2 billion and earnings per share climbing to $12.25 from $8.40 a year earlier, according to a tally of the major banks' quarterly filings.

Wells Fargo's revenue climbed 5% to $21.4 billion, with net profit rising about 9% to $5.6 billion and per-share earnings up to $1.66 from $1.42.

ALL FOUR BANKS TOPPED WALL STREET EXPECTATIONS

The results, detailed in JPMorgan's earnings release and echoed across the sector, point to a banking industry that has kept growing even as the Federal Reserve weighs whether to hold interest rates steady at its upcoming meeting. Investment-banking desks in particular benefited from a pickup in mergers, acquisitions and stock offerings this year.

Citigroup also posted a quarterly profit, rounding out a strong start to earnings season for the sector. Attention now turns to regional banks and a broader slate of companies reporting in the coming weeks, which analysts say will test whether the rally in bank stocks has room to keep running.