Corporations are issuing debt aggressively taking advantage of these record low interest rates.  JP Morgan (JPM) is taking advantage of their tremendous financial strength and is gaining market share as the number one underwriter.  Because JP Morgan has been able to stay in tact after the “Great Recession” they have benefited greatly as their competitors...Read More

Richard Bove of Rochdales Securities is correct in his assertion that people shouldn’t make too much of the trading loss at JP Morgan (JPM).  Yes it is a significant mistake and should never have happened but JP Morgan has $20-$25 Billion in earnings power.  Although I do like JP Morgan here I’m more attracted to...Read More

This article written by Simon Johnson is another in a long line of commentary that is not supported by facts or solutions.  Obviously there is a lot of stress directly stemming from the situation in Europe and it will effect banks.  Currently banks in the United States have some of the highest capital and liquidity...Read More

I agree 100% with Meredith Whitney when she says that the JP Morgan trades were prop trades.  It is rare for me to agree with Whitney but calling them anything else would simply be inaccurate.  A greater question is whether or not there is anything wrong with this.  I don’t have a problem with banks...Read More

I’m amazed at the lack of common sense shown by politicians and regulators regarding the JPM trading loss.  This is a company that has a stellar track record and it is absurd to think that they will never lose money when trading.  Company’s make mistakes and can’t just always print out money.  Wouldn’t that be...Read More

In a world of constant over reactions Fortune contributor Sheila Bair takes the cake in her assessment of JP Morgan.  Because of their $2 billion and counting trading loss she believes the bank would be better off broken up.  Keep in mind that no bank in the United States, and few in the world has...Read More

Nassim Taleb always has some interesting opinions and his thoughts on the JP Morgan trading losses seem to indicate that he doesn’t believe banks should be trading derivatives.  This is an odd sentiment due to his background as a derivatives trader.  I think that this situation has been blown up to epic proportions and is...Read More

JP Morgan produced extremely strong earnings numbers today.  Net income was $5.38 billion and the earnings were balanced through the retail banks and the investment bank.  JP Morgan is really a behemoth with simply amazing earnings power and Jamie Dimon has done a great job navigating the rough financial waters over the last several years....Read More

Wells Fargo (WFC) today released very encouraging earnings numbers today including increasing net interest margins, and strong profits led by mortgage refinancing.  The environment is getting better for these large banks and Wells Fargo certainly has the least volatile business structure due to their more vanilla and transparent business model.  It’s interesting to see bank...Read More

One area of lending that is looking particularly risky right now is student lending.  The costs of education have increased dramatically, and students are bearing the brunt of these huge debt loads in an economy that is not flush with high paying jobs for recent graduates.  Just as healthcare costs are a concern for our...Read More