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Press Release

INTERACTIVE BROKERS GROUP ANNOUNCES 1Q2016 RESULTS



REPORTS COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS PER SHARE OF $0.60, INCOME BEFORE TAXES OF $337 MILLION ON $489 MILLION IN NET REVENUES, AND EARNINGS PER SHARE ON NET INCOME OF $0.51. DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND OF $0.10 PER SHARE.



GREENWICH, CONN, April 19, 2016 - Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: IBKR) an automated global electronic broker and market maker, today reported diluted earnings per share on a comprehensive basis of $0.60 for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to diluted earnings per share on a comprehensive basis of ($0.24) for the same period in 2015.

Excluding other comprehensive income, the Company reported diluted earnings per share of $0.51 for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to diluted earnings per share of ($0.22) for same period in 2015.

Net revenues were $489 million and income before income taxes was $337 million this quarter, compared to net revenues of $172 million and loss before income taxes of $111 million for the same period in 2015.

The results for the quarter were positively impacted by strong growth in commissions and execution fees and net interest income, which increased 11% and 37%, respectively, from the same period in 2015.

In addition, the results for the quarter include a $123 million gain on our currency diversification strategy due to the weakening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies, compared to a loss of $197 million recognized in the same period in 2015.

The results for the first quarter of 2015 were also negatively impacted by a $121 million net loss due to the sudden, large move in the value of the Swiss franc, causing several of our customers who held currency futures and spot positions to suffer losses in excess of their deposits with us.

The Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share. This dividend is payable on June 14, 2016 to shareholders of record as of June 1, 2016.



Business Highlights

  • 68% Electronic Brokerage pretax profit margin for this quarter, up from 18% in the year-ago quarter.
  • 34% Market Making pretax profit margin for this quarter, down from 40% in the year-ago quarter.
  • Customer equity grew 15% from the year-ago quarter to $70.1 billion while customer debits decreased by 13% to $15.0 billion.
  • Customer accounts increased 17% from the year-ago quarter to 345 thousand.
  • Total DARTs increased 15% from the year-ago quarter to 748 thousand.
  • Brokerage segment equity was $3.7 billion. Total equity was $5.7 billion.


Segment Overview

Electronic Brokerage

Electronic Brokerage segment income before income taxes increased 361%, to $235 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to the same period last year, primarily due to the non-recurrence of unsecured customer losses caused by the sudden move in the value of the Swiss franc in the year-ago quarter, as further described below. Net revenues increased 20% to $347 million on higher commission revenue and net interest income.

Commissions and execution fees increased 11% from the year-ago quarter and net interest income grew 35% over the same period. Other income was driven 17% higher by marked-to-market gains on investments of customer funds. Pretax profit margin was 68% in the quarter ended March 31, 2016, up from 18% (and up from 63% after excluding the negative impact of the Swiss franc event) in the same period last year.

Segment metrics remained robust, as customer accounts grew 17% to 345 thousand and customer equity increased 15% to $70.1 billion from the year-ago quarter. Total DARTs1 for cleared and execution-only customers increased 15% to a record 748 thousand from the year-ago quarter. Cleared DARTs were 688 thousand, 17% higher than the same period last year.


Market Making

Market Making segment income before income taxes decreased 26% to $20 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to the same period last year, primarily driven by divergence among a significant number of individual stocks. Pretax profit margin decreased to 34% in the current quarter from 40% in the same period last year.


Sudden Move in the Value of the Swiss Franc

On January 15, 2015, due to the sudden, large move in the value of the Swiss franc that followed an unprecedented action by the Swiss National Bank, which removed a previously instituted and repeatedly reconfirmed cap of the exchange rate relative to the Euro, several of our customers who held currency futures and spot positions suffered losses in excess of their deposits with us. We took immediate action to hedge our exposure to the foreign currency receivables from these customers. During 2015, we incurred losses, net of hedging activity and debt collection efforts, of $119 million. We continue to actively pursue collection of these debts. The ultimate effect of this incident on our results will depend upon the outcome of our debt collection efforts.


Effects of Foreign Currency Diversification

In connection with our currency diversification strategy, we have determined to base our net worth in GLOBALs, a basket of 16 major currencies in which we hold our equity. In this quarter, our currency diversification strategy increased our comprehensive earnings by $123 million, as the U.S. dollar value of the GLOBAL increased by approximately 2%. The effects of the currency diversification strategy are reported as components of (1) Other Income in the Corporate segment and (2) Other Comprehensive Income ("OCI").


Conference Call Information:

Interactive Brokers Group will hold a conference call with investors today, April 19, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss its quarterly results. Investors who would like to listen to the conference call live should dial 877-324-1965 (U.S. domestic) and 631-291-4512 (international). The number should be dialed approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the conference call. Ask for the "Interactive Brokers Conference Call."

The conference call will also be accessible simultaneously, and through replays, as an audio webcast through the Investor Relations section of the Interactive Brokers web site, www.interactivebrokers.com/ir.


About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, is an automated global electronic broker that specializes in catering to financial professionals by offering state-of-the-art trading technology, superior execution capabilities, worldwide electronic access, and sophisticated risk management tools at exceptionally low costs. The brokerage trading platform utilizes the same innovative technology as the Company's market making business, which specializes in routing orders and executing and processing trades in securities, futures, foreign exchange instruments, bonds and funds on more than 100 electronic exchanges and trading venues around the world. As a market maker, we provide liquidity at these marketplaces and, as a broker, we provide professional traders and investors with electronic access to stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and mutual funds from a single IBKR Integrated Investment Account. Employing proprietary software on a global communications network, Interactive Brokers is continuously integrating its software with a growing number of exchanges and trading venues into one automatically functioning, computerized platform that requires minimal human intervention.


Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

The foregoing information contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current views with respect to certain current and future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to the Company's operations and business environment which may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from any future results, expressed or implied, in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to the company on the date of this release. The company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any statements expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Additional information on risk factors that could potentially affect the Company's financial results may be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


For Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Media: Caitlin Duffy, 203-913-1369 or Investors: Nancy Stuebe, 203-618-4070.



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Operating Data



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Operating Data, continued



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Segment Financial Information (Unaudited)



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Earnings per Share on Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)


Disclosure
  1. Daily average revenue trades (DARTs) are based on customer orders.