It was not long ago that Jamie Dimon, CEO of J.P. Morgan, was considered the golden boy of American banking. After all, he had guided the bank mostly unscathed through the financial crisis of 2008. Then last year, the London Whale crisis erupted. Bruno Iksil, a London-based J.P. Morgan trader
Yesterday after the market close, the Federal Reserve announced the results of Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR). In CCAR, the Fed evaluates capital ratios under distressed financial and economic conditions, the plan to comply with Basel 3 capital requirements, and the capital planning process. The Fed approved capital plans
On Thursday, Moody’s downgraded 15 banks. On the surface it seems counterintuitive, but the downgrade is positive for JP Morgan (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS) and Bank of America (BAC) . My 30 years in markets have taught me that it is always positive when an overhang is lifted. Back in
It appears that a big European bank got close to failure last night. European banks, especially French banks, rely heavily on funding in the wholesale money markets. It appears that a major bank was having difficulty funding its immediate liquidity needs. The cavalry was called in and has
After studying the details of the debt ceiling deal, here is a list of action items that all investors should consider: Short sell nursing home stocks. On our radar screen are Skilled Healthcare Group (SKH), Sun Healthcare Group (SUNH), and Kindred Healthcare (KND). Buy banks with strong treasury exposure. On