Things are looking up: IBDs soared in 2017 After a dismal 2016, the independent broker-dealer industry came back to life in 2017, with the top 25 IBDs collectively reporting $23.2 billion in revenue, a 13.1 percent annual increase, according to InvestmentNews research. InvestmentNews has been tracking the leading IBDs since 2003, and charting an annual assessment of the industry's growth since 2004. Over that 14-year period, growth has averaged 10.1 percent, putting 2017 firmly above average for broker-dealer revenue. (Investment News)