Just three months after hailing a positive "sentiment shift" following last November's election, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon lamented President Trump's trade war and said "the prospect of a recession has increased."

The Buffalo, New York-based bank also said Monday that the commercial real estate lending market has started showing signs of life, but that the renewed competition is crimping its loan growth.

Equity-trading revenue rose 27% from a year earlier to $4.19 billion for the first three months of the year.

Lower credit costs and better expense control helped the San Francisco-based titan offset the impact of lighter-than-expected revenue.

The chief executives at four of the nation's largest banks weighed in on what evolving trade policies mean for their businesses and the U.S. economy. "I think you have to be a little bit pessimistic here," said Bank of New York Mellon CEO Robin Vince.

The JPMorgan Chase CEO said Friday that recent turmoil in the bond market highlights the need for more capital and liquidity flexibility.

Bank of New York Mellon's earnings blew past Wall Street's expectations, but CEO Robin Vince said the bank is bracing for long-lasting uncertainty.

The first three months of the year coincide with the start of President Donald Trump's second term in office. Investors are likely to be more interested in banks' outlooks amid swings in tariff policy than the first-quarter results.

JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley are projected to post a combined $34.8 billion haul from their trading businesses in the first quarter, the most for that period in at least seven years.

Five Star Bank's parent company denied wrongdoing but said the agreement spares it the uncertainty and expense that might have resulted from a trial.