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.

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,

France's BNP Paribas on Tuesday reported a forecast-beating jump in fourth-quarter net income as its investment bankers rode a surge in trading activity. Its shares rose around 3% in early trading, outperforming France's benchmark CAC 40 index.