BNP Paribas reported a forecast-beating jump in quarterly earnings thanks to a surge in trading activity, boosting the French bank's struggling stock price as it pushes ahead with cost cuts to improve profitability.

France's BNP Paribas has today reported a forecast-beating jump in fourth-quarter net income as its investment bankers rode a surge in trading activity.

Profit rose in the fourth quarter compared to the same period of the previous year for French banking giant BNP Paribas. BNP Paribas reported on Tuesday that its fourth-quarter net income, group share,

BNP Paribas CFO Lars Machenil discusses the performance of the lender's investment banking unit and at its commercial and retail arm, which rebounded in the fourth quarter. He also discusses the outlook for consolidation in the industry.