Wall Street’s 2023 first half profits of $13 billion were down 4.3% from the same period last year but tracked the industry’s return to pre-pandemic levels of revenue after record profits in 2020 and 2021. Financial firms’ interest expenses were seven times higher in 2022 than in 2021. Data for 2022 will likely show a decline in the industry’s economic contribution, back to pre-pandemic levels (14.5% in NYC in 2019), reflecting the drop in firms’ profitability.