Shares of The Charles Schwab Corp. (NYSE:SCHW), the discount brokerage firm, benefited from the dual tailwinds of rising interest rates and rising equity markets. Higher interest rates benefit Schwab both by driving up its net interest revenue and also by leading to reductions in waivers on its money market products. Higher equity markets result in higher revenues from its products, such as mutual funds, that charge fees based on underlying asset levels. Trading volume and the associated trading fees also generally increase in rising equity markets. Schwab also continues to benefit from the ongoing trend of investment advisors leaving large wirehouses to become independent advisors, many of whom conduct their business through Schwab.
From Baron Funds' Baron Asset Fund commentary for fourth quarter 2015.
