BAC - Bank of America Corporation
28.08 -0.03 (-0.11%)
After hours: 4:27PM EDT
| Previous close | 26.78 |
| Open | 28.95 |
| Bid | 28.07 x 4000 |
| Ask | 28.06 x 800 |
| Day's range | 27.88 - 29.01 |
| 52-week range | 17.95 - 35.72 |
| Volume | 110,754,710 |
| Avg. volume | 90,997,992 |
| Market cap | 243.871B |
| Beta (5Y monthly) | 1.65 |
| PE ratio (TTM) | 10.36 |
| EPS (TTM) | 2.71 |
| Earnings date | 16 Jul 2020 |
| Forward dividend & yield | 0.72 (2.69%) |
| Ex-dividend date | 04 Jun 2020 |
| 1y target est | 27.35 |
- Bloomberg
JD Seeks $4.1 Billion in Year’s Biggest Hong Kong Listing
(Bloomberg) -- China’s No. 2 online retailer JD.com Inc. is seeking to raise as much as HK$31.4 billion ($4.05 billion) for a second listing in Hong Kong, as the Nasdaq-listed firm seeks a foothold closer to home amid rising U.S.-China tensions.JD.com is offering 133 million new shares at as much as HK$236 each, according to terms of the deal obtained by Bloomberg News. The maximum price represents a 7.8% premium to JD.com’s Thursday closing price in New York.JD.com’s share sale is set to be the largest in Hong Kong this year, coming hot on the heels of NetEase Inc.’s $2.7 billion offering in the city.Escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing are increasing risks for Chinese companies like JD and NetEase that are seeking to broaden their investor base. There have also been fears over the impact of national security legislation set to be imposed on Hong Kong, including the resumption of protests in the city.The debuts would follow Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s $13 billion stock sale last year, hailed as a homecoming for Chinese companies and a win for Hong Kong stock exchange. The city lost many of the largest tech corporations to U.S. bourses because it didn’t allow dual-class share voting at the time -- a requirement that’s since been relaxed.JD.com’s Hong Kong share sale represents about 4.3% of its total shares outstanding before an over-allotment option. The company is taking orders from institutional investors from Friday and will kick off retail investor subscription on June 8, according to the terms.It aims to price the offering on June 11 and to begin trading on June 18. JD.com plans to use the proceeds for key supply chain-based technology initiatives.Bank of America Corp., UBS Group AG and CLSA Ltd. are joint sponsors of JD’s Hong Kong share sale.(Updates with more details from sixth paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Motley Fool
Is Bank of America the Best Bank Stock?
The financial sector has been one of the hardest-hit parts of the stock market since the COVID-19 pandemic sent the stock market plunging into a bear market earlier this year. With that in mind, here's a quick overview of just how cheap Bank of America has become, why the stock has done so poorly, and why it might be a good bank stock to buy now. After the stock market's sharp rebound since hitting its lows in March, the S&P 500 index is just 4% lower than where it started 2020.
- Bloomberg
Uber’s Ride-Hailing Recovery Comes Slowly With Business Down 70%
(Bloomberg) -- Uber Technologies Inc.’s global rides business is down 70% from last year, a slight improvement from its low point in the coronavirus pandemic but an indication that recovery will come slowly.The decline in rides continues to be at least partially offset by a food delivery boom. The Uber Eats business is more than doubling, and the gains are accelerating, Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive officer, said Wednesday at a virtual technology conference hosted by Bank of America. Uber intends to drive consolidation in the food delivery market and continues to look for opportunities, he said. He declined to comment on Uber’s proposal to buy Grubhub Inc., which was first reported by Bloomberg last month.Read more: Uber’s Ex-CTO Reflects on a Rift With Travis Kalanick and How to Fix Autonomous CarsLike the rest of the travel industry, Uber has been hard hit by the pandemic and restrictions limiting normal activities. Uber reported a first-ever decline in the gross bookings of rides last quarter and said business was down 80% in April. As a result, the San Francisco-based company has postponed profit targets, eliminated several divisions and sliced about a quarter of its global workforce.Khosrowshahi’s comments Wednesday erased some of the stock’s gains in intraday trading, but shares were up about 3% alongside a market-wide increase.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Oil’s Comeback Encourages U.S. Shale and Complicates OPEC+ Task
(Bloomberg) -- As OPEC+ producers head toward a consensus on extending output curbs, oil’s rally is prompting some U.S. producers to open their taps once again.Futures settled at their highest since March 6 on Tuesday, the day the Saudi-Russian alliance broke down just as a global pandemic dimmed the outlook for demand. Oil’s rebound over the past month brings back concerns that Russia could again hesitate to extend output cuts, with rival shale producers signaling they are ready to re-open wells that were shut during the market’s collapse.Further evidence of that threat emerged this week, when U.S. driller Parsley Energy Inc. said it’s turning oil wells back on just weeks after shutting them off, illustrating the shale industry’s agility in responding to rising crude prices.Also read: Early Signs Show Shale Oil Production Bouncing Back With Prices“If everybody magically decides to turn the taps back on and lets the oil back to the surface, now you’ve got 1.5 million to 2 million barrels a day that needs to find a home,” said Stewart Glickman, an energy analyst at CFRA Research.On Tuesday, OPEC members were still wrangling over when to hold their next meeting, against what’s still an uncertain demand backdrop. For now, Russia and several other OPEC+ nations are said to favor extending their current output cuts by a month.It’s unclear if a month’s extension of curbs is enough for Saudi Arabia -- the biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- though the proposal is within the range of the kingdom’s own call for a one- to three-month elongation.“It will be a question of how much price gains do you really want with the risk of the return of U.S. shale oil?” said Olivier Jakob, managing director of Petromatrix GmbH.The industry-funded American Petroleum Institute reported that supplies in Cushing, Oklahoma, fell by 2.2 million barrels last week. That would mark the fourth straight weekly decline if U.S. government data confirms the draw on Wednesday. U.S. crude stockpiles fell 483,000 barrels, according to the report. North American oil production shut-ins peaked in May, and June curtailments should be “a fraction of the previously announced levels,” Bank of America analysts wrote in a Monday note.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Business Wire
Bank of America Announces 2021 Quarterly Financial Reporting Dates
Bank of America Corporation today announced the following 2021 reporting dates for quarterly financial results:
- Reuters
Bank of America pledges $1 billion to address racial, economic inequality
"The events of the past week have created a sense of true urgency that has arisen across our nation, particularly in view of the racial injustices we have seen in the communities where we work and live," Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said. Major cities across the country were hit by the worst civil unrest seen in years following the death of George Floyd last week, with demonstrators setting fire to a strip mall in Los Angeles, looting stores in New York City and clashing with police. Bank of America said its four-year commitment will include programs such as virus testing and other health services, especially focusing on communities of color, support to minority-owned small businesses, and partnerships with historically black and Hispanic educational institutions.
- Business Wire
Bank of America Announces $1 Billion/4-Year Commitment to Support Economic Opportunity Initiatives
Bank of America announced today that it is making a $1 billion, four-year commitment of additional support to help local communities address economic and racial inequality accelerated by a global pandemic. The programs will be focused on assisting people and communities of color that have experienced a greater impact from the health crisis.
- Bloomberg
JPMorgan’s Traders Race Ahead in the Pandemic
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The rising tide of pandemic relief money that’s oiling the wheels of finance has been a boon for those in the business of securities trading. Even as the wild market swings have subsided, activity has been buoyant as central banks and governments pumped trillions into economies. This may turn out to be one of the best environments for investment bankers generally, especially those who are buying and selling shares and bonds, but a standout company is emerging.After a record trading performance in first three months of 2020, JPMorgan Chase & Co. is on course to post a 50% jump in trading revenue in the second quarter, when compared with the same period a year ago, the New York giant’s co-president, Daniel Pinto, said last week. The reserved Argentine banker, who has helped JPMorgan move to the top of Wall Street’s rankings, was “very pleased” by the performance. That tells you how well things are going.Other trading firms are doing well too, although not as handsomely as Pinto’s employer. Bank of America Corp. expects bond- and stock-trading revenue to rise close to 10% in the period; Citigroup Inc. is seeing “very good momentum” in the fixed-income business after a 40% jump in the first quarter. Citi is still playing catch-up with its rivals in equities trading.JPMorgan might also be edging further ahead of its European rivals on their home patch. The bank is the favored dealer in Europe for both interest-rate and credit trading, ahead of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citi, according to a poll of bond investors by Greenwich Associates at the end of April. European banks barely made it into the top three in some of Greenwich’s subcategories on fixed-income trading.“It’s a balance sheet, scale and electronification game now, and the bigger you are, the better you do,” Greenwich Associates said when the report was published. That’s propelling JPMorgan — which spends more than $11 billion a year on technology — ahead of its competitors.America’s biggest bank added 2.5 percentage points to its share of trading revenue among its top peers between 2015 and 2019. It has a 12% share of trading in fixed-income, currencies and commodities, an 11% share of equity trading, and a lead in derivatives. That places it at the center of the world’s financial markets. Its ability to move large volumes of inventory is unrivaled, competitors and clients say.Last year, JPMorgan added 25% to its hedge-fund balances, bringing them to $500 billion, and it has been targeting $1 trillion. This growth in hedge fund clients has allowed it to build its stock-trading business, with equity derivatives powering a surge in revenue. It helps too that borrowers have been tapping the bond markets at a record pace.Crucially, it’s the bank’s market dominance — which lets it take on more risk relative to its size — that appears to have become self-perpetuating. “We don't need to take a huge amount of risk for the franchise to be profitable,” Pinto told a conference last week. “At our scale, the franchise is perfectly profitable. So, the only thing we need to do is to always be in a position where we can monetize the franchise.”For Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, a roaring trading division is just what he needs to make up for the inevitable problems in the lending business caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with companies and households struggling to repay their loans amid the worst recession in decades. Credit losses will pile up and the decline in U.S. interest rates will erode profit margins in the business over time. JPMorgan’s profitable consumer business won’t be such a cash cow.But when the wave recedes, the Wall Street trading titan could be in a league of its own. The question then becomes: Is that healthy for the banking system? This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Elisa Martinuzzi is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering finance. She is a former managing editor for European finance at Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Is the Worst of the Coronavirus Behind Us Now?
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The story of Covid-19 has been pretty bleak, from the scale of the novel coronavirus’s death toll to the pain of draconian lockdowns imposed by, in many cases, unprepared and under-resourced governments.But several weeks after the tentative lifting of tough stay-at-home restrictions in several major European countries, there are reasons to be optimistic about the risk of a second wave of cases — with a dose of appropriate caution.In France, the government is forging ahead with the reopening of bars, restaurants, museums, parks and cross-country travel after the first phase of “deconfinement” went much better than expected. The daily increase in cases here averaged around 0.5% last week, according to Bloomberg data, and the virus’s basic reproduction rate is below 1, according to the French government and other estimates based on hospitalizations.Elsewhere, Italy, Germany and Spain have also avoided serious flare-ups in cases and deaths as restrictions are eased. It’s similar in Austria and Denmark, which lifted lockdowns back in April. Weekly confirmed cases show the continuation of a declining trend. That’s despite people going out and about once again, albeit with face masks and hand gel, and a stay on big-crowd events for now.Retail and recreational footfall in these countries, which was near zero during the lockdown, has recovered to around 50% below the pre-crisis baseline, according to Google data. In parks and public spaces, it’s back to normal. Consumers are even booking flights again. Visions of a radically new society emerging from the rubble of Covid-19 may have to be rethought.There’s no consensus yet on why things are going relatively well. Some experts say the virus itself may have changed, possibly weakened by the summer heat or mutating into a more benign form. Society has changed, too. More social distancing, more handwashing and more testing and contact tracing are proving their worth.Whatever the reason, doctors are increasingly voicing relief and optimism. “Of course, we shouldn’t lower our guard,” French medical professor Frederic Adnet said last week. “But right now, it’s as if the epidemic was behind me.” On Friday, Christian Drosten, a virologist at the Charite University Hospital in Berlin, told Der Spiegel he was confident the outbreak could be kept under control without another lockdown: “There is theoretically a possibility that we can forego a second wave.”None of this means that the virus has disappeared. Areas such as Latin America are still being hit hard. The World Health Organization says the strength of the virus in the developing world indicates we are globally still in the first wave, rather than past it.Nor does it make sense for all countries to lift restrictions to the same extent. Scientists in the U.K., where daily case growth has been higher than in neighboring countries, have expressed concern about curbs being eased too fast. It’s pretty unlikely we are anywhere near herd immunity, and if the virus is a seasonal one, a return in the winter months can’t be ruled out.Still, countries in Europe are proving they can return to some semblance of normal life while containing the virus’s spread, and this is a very positive development. We’re far better prepared to contain “super-spreader” events than at the beginning of the epidemic, when the virus thrived below the surface. Earlier this month, more than 100 infections were traced to a service in a German church, which closed its doors as a result.And economic activity is recovering, as captured by the quite rational rally in financial markets. Bank of America analysts expect key indicators to point to an expanding euro-zone economy by September at the latest.If infections from the novel coronavirus or another one like it do spike again, we will have had more time to keep researching existing drugs for possible treatments, as well as working on the more distant goal of a vaccine. The extra resources being poured into testing, medical research and hospitals should help us avoid the worst of both worlds — high excess deaths and blanket, economy-killing lockdown measures — even if cases climb.The scenario of this virus simply disappearing, perhaps in the way the 2003 SARS disease did, remains a dream. Pandemics usually end when there aren’t enough people left to infect, or when human intervention — through vaccines, or brute-force measures such as isolation or quarantine — scores a decisive victory. We’re not there yet. But the feeling of getting closer is palpable, and worth relishing.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Older Crowd Embraces Online Banking, Rewards Firms’ Digital Push
(Bloomberg) -- It took a global pandemic to get many baby boomers to bank online. Lenders have taken notice.Over the past two months, Americans flocked to websites and apps to manage their finances as the coronavirus limited access to branches, according industry executives. For JPMorgan Chase & Co., existing online clients are using the offerings more frequently, while Bank of America Corp. found that older customers are seeking out its digital services.“We may have opened some people’s eyes to the future,” Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan told investors at a conference last week. “We’re just on a relentless push.”The coronavirus has given a boost to digital banking, which entails less paper, greater use of electronic services and fewer in-person meetings. Tech has been viewed by banks as both an offensive and defensive tool. Online services have the potential to bring in customers, help cut costly branches and pare workforces, while also making it harder for new competitors to poach clients with the allure of better technology.In April, 23% of new logins to Bank of America’s online and mobile products were by seniors and boomers, Moynihan said. They also accounted for about 20% of customers who deposited checks using mobile phones for the first time. In its business catering to wealthy people, the use of technology has risen over the last six weeks to levels that the bank projected would take six years, according to Andy Sieg, president of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.One in four people surveyed by Boston Consulting Group said they plan to use branches less or stop visiting altogether when the crisis is over, according to a global poll from April 13 to April 27. The pandemic sparked 12% of the people polled to enroll in online or mobile banking.“We’ve seen tremendous increases in the frequency of use,” said Mindy Hauptman, a BCG partner based in Philadelphia. “If you talked to someone a year ago, they would have said digital was critical to their future. I think that’s been reinforced and accelerated.”Customers were steered toward online banking for a multitude of reasons, Hauptman said. Many stayed home to comply with government orders, while others weren’t able to visit branches because of closures or limited services. As clients flooded call centers to request payment deferrals and inquire about government relief programs, others opted to go online.“This crisis is accelerating the trend toward digital banking,” Goldman Sachs Group Inc. President John Waldron told the conference last week. That’s translated to a 25% jump in active users on the bank’s institutional platform, while its retail arm, Marcus, has seen a 300% surge in visits for financial articles and videos.But the bank’s move to boost online services hasn’t always been smooth -- it delayed until next year the digital offering for its wealth-management unit.The pace of digital adoption remains uneven. In the April survey, only 16% of respondents in the U.S. said they would use branches less often after the crisis, the lowest of any nation in the survey.“We’re a little surprised of seeing in the consumer business that the folks who are already digital are doing more of it,” said JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. “The folks who aren’t digital aren’t exactly picking it up. And I wish we could find a way to incent them to do that better.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
U.S. Consumer Spending Plunges While Stimulus Boosts Incomes
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. consumer spending plunged in April by the most on record as widespread government lockdowns largely prevented Americans from spending federal stimulus payments in the month.Household outlays fell 13.6% from the prior month, the sharpest drop in more than six decades worth of data, a Commerce Department report showed Friday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 12.8% decline.Incomes posted a record 10.5% increase, compared with estimates for a 5.9% decline, as federal stimulus payments were distributed under the CARES Act, the report said. It showed government social benefits rose by $3 trillion in April, up from a $70.2 billion gain the prior month. That helped drive the personal savings rate to a record 33% from 12.7%.But the rise in income temporarily masks the fact that people are in a fragile economic position, said Michelle Meyer, head of U.S. economics at Bank of America Corp.“Unemployment insurance only offsets less than half of the loss in compensation,” Meyer said. “The reason the numbers look so extreme this month was because of the one-time checks that were sent out -- which won’t be continuing.”A separate report Friday showed consumer sentiment stumbled in late May as pessimism built about the economic outlook. The University of Michigan’s final sentiment index fell to 72.3 from a preliminary reading of 73.7. The coronavirus pandemic halted purchases of all but the most essential goods and services amid the lockdowns, but gradual reopenings nationwide will boost spending in the coming months. Even though the temporary income replacement will help Americans to start spending again, economists expect it will take a year or more before spending recovers to pre-virus levels.U.S. stocks fell as investors weighed the decline in consumer spending and awaited President Donald Trump’s latest response in his escalating feud with China. The yield on 10-year Treasuries sank.The Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of consumer prices rose 0.5% from a year earlier, the slowest pace since 1961 and far below the central bank’s 2% target. The core price index, which excludes more-volatile food and energy costs, advanced 1%, the least since 2011.Read more:Americans on Jobless Benefits Post First Drop of PandemicGreen Shoots Emerge in World Economy as Virus Lockdowns EaseSalaries Get Chopped for Many Americans Who Manage to Keep JobsFed’s Daly: U.S. Pandemic Shock Longer Than Initially ThoughtIn a contrast with the headline income number, wages and salaries fell 8% from the prior month amid widespread job losses, reductions in hours and pay cuts. The income category of personal current transfer receipts surged 89.6%.A separate report Friday showed U.S. merchandise trade in April slumped to the lowest level in a decade as the pandemic curtailed demand and disrupted supply lines.After adjusting for inflation, spending fell by 13.2% in April, also the most ever, supporting forecasts for gross domestic product to shrink by a record in the April-June period. The main drivers of the monthly decline were spending on food and beverages, restaurants, hotels and health care.(A previous version corrected the third paragraph to show benefit payments were an increase, not a level.)(Adds economist’s comment in fifth paragraph, Michigan sentiment in sixth.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Reuters
U.S. judge orders 15 banks to face big investors' currency rigging lawsuit
A U.S. judge on Thursday said institutional investors, including BlackRock Inc <BLK.N> and Allianz SE's <ALVG.DE> Pacific Investment Management Co, can pursue much of their lawsuit accusing 15 major banks of rigging prices in the $6.6 trillion-a-day foreign exchange market. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan said the nearly 1,300 plaintiffs, including many mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, plausibly alleged that the banks conspired to rig currency benchmarks from 2003 to 2013 and profit at their expense. "This is an injury of the type the antitrust laws were intended to prevent," Schofield wrote in a 40-page decision.
- Motley Fool
Bank of America CEO Says Q2 Trading Revenue to Rise by Nearly 10%
If Brian Moynihan's forecast proves true, the take from the activity might help save the company's quarter.
- Investing.com
Stock - Wall Street Opens Higher as Cyclicals' Recovery Gains Strength
By Geoffrey Smith
- Yahoo Finance
NYSE president: 'While we are reopening, it is not back to business as usual'
The iconic New York Stock Exchange floor is back open for business. Here is what New York Stock Exchange President Stacey Cunningham told Yahoo Finance.
- Motley Fool
68% of Buffett's Portfolio Is in These 4 Stocks
According to Warren Buffett, diversification is only needed if you don't know what you're doing.
- Bloomberg
Bank of America Says Pandemic Bond Proves ESG a ‘Bear Market Necessity’
(Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp. was the first on Wall Street to issue a pandemic bond. It hopes to set a trend.The bank priced a $1 billion bond offering May 14 to fund projects addressing social issues related to Covid-19, the first sale from a U.S. financial institution that explicitly links all proceeds to tackling the virus. Response from investors has been enthusiastic, said Karen Fang, the bank’s global head of sustainable finance.“ESG is not just a bull market luxury,” Fang said in an interview, citing the bank’s own research. “ESG is a bear market necessity.”Corporations, governments, multilateral organizations and development banks have raised a record $108.4 billion of debt this year to alleviate the impacts of the deadly virus, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Chinese companies have sold most of the so-called pandemic bonds, raising about $48.3 billion.Bank of America’s bond came about in March as the virus spread through the U.S. and much of the country began to shut down. Senior executives, including Vice Chairman Anne Finucane and Chief Operating Officer Tom Montag, were involved in internal discussions on the bond, which took weeks to construct.The pricing for the fixed-to-floating rate notes earmarked for lending to the health care industry was aggressive. The deal priced tighter than the lender’s regular benchmarks, Fang said, and the bonds will yield 1.30 percentage points above Treasuries.Strong PipelineBank of America has raised more than $8 billion through environmentally and socially themed bonds and has a “very strong” pipeline, Fang said. Other virus-related debt includes Pfizer Inc.’s $1.25 billion sustainability bond and USAA Capital Corp.’s $800 million offering to fund projects that may include Covid-19 relief.While the deal makes sense for a lender like Bank of America with a large presence in green and social bond markets, it might not open the floodgates for similar transactions, according to CreditSights analysts.“We’re a little doubtful we’re going to see an imminent increase in ESG-type offerings from the banks,” CreditSights’ chief of ESG and sustainability Josh Olazabal and the head of U.S. financials Jesse Rosenthal, wrote in an email. “It will really come down to the issuer’s internal goals around ESG products and investors.”Still, ESG-focused investors like Nuveen and Eaton Vance Management anticipate that more commercial banks will follow suit. Other lenders that have “the focus and expertise” to originate such loans will seek to replicate Bank of America’s deal, according to Vishal Khanduja, head of investment-grade portfolio management at Eaton Vance.“We expect other sponsors to continue to innovate the structure and provide investable impact opportunities at scale,” Khanduja said Tuesday in an interview.Nuveen, which oversees about $1 trillion in assets, has already had discussions with underwriters from two banks because there is interest in similar deals, according to Stephen Liberatore, head of the responsible fixed-income strategy team.“This was the leader,” Liberatore said of Bank of America’s bond. “Now that others are seeing what’s expected and how it can be done, there’s a template for other banks.”For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Jamie Dimon Can’t Hold Back His Competitive Side
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- At first glance, the latest memo from JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon reads like nothing short of a kumbaya moment from the billionaire who leads the biggest U.S. bank.Ahead of JPMorgan’s annual shareholder meeting, Dimon highlighted a $250 million global business and philanthropic commitment that will help “vulnerable and underrepresented communities”; a collaboration with Marriott International Inc. and others that will provide up to $10 million of hotel stays for health-care workers addressing Covid-19 in the U.S.; a lifeline to “hundreds of thousands of homeowners” to delay mortgage payments for three months; and almost $1 billion in new loans for small-business clients. The list goes on.The numbers that stuck out to me, however: JPMorgan has helped investment-grade companies raise $664 billion and an additional $104 billion in high yield so far this year. It’s not entirely clear what “helped” means, but the bank’s earnings presentation last month said it had “helped clients raise $380B+ through the investment-grade debt market in 1Q20,” implying that whatever the criteria, it has done an additional $284 billion of it in the second quarter with six weeks to go.April was a record month for the broad high-grade bond market, with some $300 billion of deals pricing, and May has shown little signs of slowing down with about $168 billion in the books. High-yield volume rebounded in April to $37.3 billion, the most in a month this year, and so far an additional $23.8 billion has priced in May. As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in his “60 Minutes” interview about the central bank’s corporate credit facilities, “we haven't actually had to lend anyone any money because now the markets are working because the markets know that we’re there.”Functioning bond markets might be enough for Powell, but for Dimon and his counterparts like Bank of America Corp.’s Brian Moynihan, it’s still market share that matters. In a subtle way, Dimon might have been letting his competitive side show by lauding the bank’s underwriting figures so far in 2020.According to Bloomberg’s league tables, JPMorgan finished No. 1 in both investment-grade and high-yield underwriting in 2019. As it stands now, JPMorgan is on track to reclaim its titles in 2020. A back-to-back finish atop the rankings hasn’t happened for the bank since 2013, which capped off a four-year string of first-place finishes after the last recession.The league tables, which use a stricter criteria on which deals qualify for a given bank, show just how slim the margins can be at the top. For instance, Bank of America snatched first place in investment-grade underwriting in 2018, the only time in the past decade that JPMorgan didn’t hold the top spot. The two banks underwrote $141 billion and $139.9 billion, respectively. That same year, JPMorgan edged out Credit Suisse in high yield, $17 billion to $16.1 billion. So far in 2020, JPMorgan has increased its investment-grade market share year-over-year by 3.28 percentage points, more than any other bank. Its closest competitor, Bank of America, has increased its share by 2.21 percentage points. In high yield, Bank of America has picked up the most market share and has done the most deals, though it still trails JPMorgan in overall volume, according to the Bloomberg league tables.All this is to say, fees from debt underwriting will play an important role in the second-quarter earnings results of the biggest U.S. banks. With Treasury yields near record lows, net interest income will inevitably come under pressure. Market volatility is nowhere near the levels seen in March, as measured by the VIX Index, which means trading revenue won’t be the lifesaver it was in the previous quarter. And provisions for credit losses will still eat into profitability. One of the few constants so far in the second quarter has been the flood of new bond deals hitting the market.JPMorgan and other big banks are clearly trying to tone down their competitive side during this pandemic to avoid appearing greedy during a time of fear. As I’ve said before, bankers are positioning themselves to be the good guys in this crisis, given that they’re well capitalized and have the capacity to be there for clients, unlike in 2008.Dimon’s memo, in that sense, effectively summarizes the mood. “Let’s leverage this moment to think creatively about how we can mobilize to address so many issues that inhibit the creation of an inclusive economy and fray our social fabric,” he wrote. “By doing the right thing during times of crisis, we can emerge stronger and more cohesive in its wake.” At the same time, he has an obligation to have JPMorgan emerge stronger from this economic downturn as well. Part of that is keeping a tight grip on its debt-underwriting throne.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Brian Chappatta is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering debt markets. He previously covered bonds for Bloomberg News. He is also a CFA charterholder.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
Bank of America CEO Says Sees Recovery at End of 2021
(Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said consumer spending is picking up in some areas of the U.S. as government relief programs cushion the credit impact of the coronavirus pandemic.“These measures taken by Congress, by the administration and by the Fed have worked to offset the unfortunate aspects of very high unemployment -- and so far, you’re not seeing delinquencies and things rise,” Moynihan said in a Bloomberg Television interview Tuesday. “We expect to see charge-offs coming later on, as this thing goes on, but the reality is right now you’re not seeing the type of credit damage that you’d expect to see with this amount of downdraft in activity.” Consumer spending is down 2% to 4% this month from a year earlier, and is picking up faster in areas of the country that are reopening, he said. In China, it surged when stay-at-home orders were lifted, but then declined.“That’s what we have to watch in the United States -- there’ll be a burst of activity in some of these places” as people emerge from their homes, but the question is whether they’ll sustain spending on larger purchases such as cars or homes, Moynihan said. While the economy won’t recover to its pre-pandemic size until the end of next year, there are likely to be incremental gains until then, he said.Here are other takeaways from the interview:The lender has granted about 1.5 million payment deferrals. About 35% to 40% of people who asked to delay their credit-card bills ended up paying them anyway, he said.Bank of America has processed 320,000 small-business relief loans with an average balance of $80,000. Of those, 98% are for companies with fewer than 100 employees.High-grade debt issuance will probably have another record month in May after Fed programs stabilized the market, he said. High-yield debt will have a strong month, while convertible bond and equity deals are starting to be done. “The stabilization and the fact those facilities aren’t all used, it’s actually a good thing because that means the market’s doing what they’re doing and providing capital,” Moynihan said.In terms of returning employees to bank offices, “we’ll go back slowly,” he said.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Yahoo Finance
American Express CEO to employees: Plan to work from home for the rest of 2020
American Express CEO Stephen Squeri lays out his vision for how employees will return to work after COVID-19 quarantines lift.
- Bloomberg
Goldman Sounds the Death Knell for High-Yield Savings Accounts
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Goodbye, high-yield savings accounts. We hardly knew you.For years, the oxymoronic products were a resounding success for both consumers and financial institutions alike. After getting almost zero interest from big U.S. banks, individuals who parked their excess cash with the likes of Ally Financial Inc., Barclays Plc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s consumer bank, Marcus, or HSBC Holdings Plc’s HSBC Direct were suddenly bringing in a comparatively bountiful 2% or more around this time last year. At that point, the Federal Reserve had raised its short-term interest rate for what would be the final time this cycle in December 2018. The rest is history. First, the Fed felt compelled to lower interest rates three times from July through October to offset the economic impacts from the Trump administration’s trade wars. That, as I noted in an October column, brought prevailing high-yield savings rates dangerously close to the fed funds rate. And yet, in early 2020, Marcus users could still lock in that 2% magic number by opting for a no-penalty certificate of deposit.Then the coronavirus happened. This chart says it all: As it’s plain to see, there’s now a chasm between the fed funds rate and the going rates on some top high-yield savings accounts. The banks have so far moved lower gradually, likely to avoid sticker shock that would cause their customers to take their deposits elsewhere. But even with online banking’s cost-saving advantages over more typical brick-and-mortar institutions, they can’t defy gravity forever. Eventually, rates will have to head closer to the zero lower bound. These savings accounts will still hang around but will hardly seem to fit the moniker of “high yield.”Marcus announced the cut to its savings rate on May 8 with this message:“Effective today, the rate on our Marcus high-yield Online Savings Account has been adjusted down to 1.30% from 1.55% APY. We understand that this isn’t welcome news. During this unprecedented time, please know that the rate on our Marcus Online Savings Account remains highly competitive with an APY that’s still 4X the national average. You can rest assured that we continue our commitment to providing value and helping your money grow.”“For a guaranteed return, consider adding a fixed-rate No-Penalty CD. You’ll earn a high-yield rate with the flexibility to withdraw you balance beginning 7 days after funding. Our 7-month No-Penalty CD currently earns 1.55%.”The marketing is top-notch. First, it’s transparent about being bad news, but then quickly pivots to play up that Marcus still provides comparatively more interest than accounts at Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The announcement also wastes no time suggesting a no-penalty CD to make up for the lost interest (and, in a benefit to Goldman, create a “stickier” deposit). Marcus is a relatively new venture for Goldman, and it seems reasonable to assume the investment bank will operate it with Chief Executive Officer David Solomon’s “evolutionary path” in mind. Goldman is looking to diversify away from historically volatile trading revenue, much like its Wall Street rival Morgan Stanley. If it means running Marcus with tight margins to keep customers in the fold, so be it.A bank like Ally, on the other hand, may have less flexibility. Heading into this year, it was fresh off of an upgrade by S&P Global Ratings to BBB-, one step above junk. That upswing didn’t last long; it was one of 13 banks that S&P put on negative outlook earlier this month. Analysts said it “could be more sensitive to the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic than the average U.S. bank. We attribute this sensitivity to Ally's sizable concentration in auto lending that may face heightened risk of financial distress in the current economic environment.” Also a risk: “Ultra-low interest rates will weigh on net interest income,” which accounts for more than 70% of Ally’s net revenue.Ally, for its part, also knows how to sell itself. “People don’t want to hear messages that are depressing and that add to their anxiety,” Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing officer at Ally, told the Financial Brand in an article published last week. “They want to hear optimism and they want to hear about purposeful ideas that make them feel like the world is going to kind of get back to normal.” The theme of a campaign promoting its savings options: “Is your money not sure what to do with itself?”Whether Ally, Barclays, Marcus or HSBC are the answer to that is an open question. As it stands, these interest rates barely cover the market-implied inflation rate over the next 10 years. That’s somewhat by design, of course — the Fed cuts rates in part to encourage borrowing and purchases of riskier assets, both of which boost the economy more than parking cash in a high-yield savings account. Stocks, however, seem increasingly detached from the current economic reality. In that sense, Ally’s focus on being unsure might resonate with individual investors.Future interest rates on high-yield savings accounts are on equally shaky ground. While there’s not much in the way of precedent, it’s safe to say they’ll continue to offer more than the rock-bottom rates on money-market funds. Banks will probably do whatever they can to delay going below 1%, a round number that could be the last straw for some individuals. Other than those parameters, though, anything is possible; such is life at the zero lower bound.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Brian Chappatta is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering debt markets. He previously covered bonds for Bloomberg News. He is also a CFA charterholder.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
