nextbigtrade
Stage Analysis Trader, Creator of Next Big Trade Premium Newsletter
US financial stocks are in free fall after a failed move higher turned into a fast move lower. Banks earn heavily while mortgages are still being originated at high rates, then the cash spigot shuts off when the market freezes, followed by foreclosures, short sales and stress in the system. x.com x.comÂ
Regional banks rejected a double top at their 4Q21-1Q22 peak, and pumping them now is market foolishness. Rising yields, falling high-yield and investment-grade corporate bonds, and collapsing real estate all argue against owning them. x.comÂ
Banks' weak response to earnings despite low expectations warrants caution into the rest of Q3 reporting. JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs all fell after mixed results, while the bank ETF also declined. x.comÂ
US regional banks are among the underowned, lower-volatility areas now ripping, driven partly by earnings and an overall rotation. Alongside transports, medical devices and homebuilders, they are drawing money as overcrowded, highly margined, growth-at-any-cost areas such as semiconductors are unwound. x.comÂ
Regional banks' CRE refinancing wall did less damage than models projected because banks had been quietly de-risking for two years beforehand. CRE as a share of total bank loans fell about 400bp from 2022 to 2024. Extend-and-pretend needed a forced refinancing event, but sponsors found their own exits as rates peaked earlier than projected. x.comÂ
Regional banks are next in line as commercial real estate cracks, because they hold a massive share of CRE loans that go bad as property values crater. Private credit cracked first: Apollo, Ares, Barings, Morgan Stanley and Cliffwater capped redemptions, and Apollo's co-president said some private-market marks are wrong. Now buildings sell for up to 90% off; a Chicago office bought for $68.1M fetched $4M. As loans mature and refinancing bites, every forced sale resets prices for everyone. x.com … Show more
US consumer cyclicals and broad market breadth look set to gain as Q2 bank results refute the K-shaped consumer doom thesis. Card spending rose 9% to 12% at JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo while credit quality improved: JPMorgan's card net charge-off rate fell to 3.34% from 3.47% and it cut full-year guidance, and Wells Fargo's credit-loss provision fell 9%. With rate tailwinds and falling gas, retail, transports, regional banks and equal-weight stocks signal a cyclical rotation. … Show more
Bank stocks look buyable if systematic selling is reacting to a flatter yield curve: the front end that drives earnings has barely moved. JPMorgan and Citi card spending rose 10% and 13%, and Citi and Wells Fargo reported lower credit losses. Wells expects steady margins and improving interest income as loans grow and old fixed-rate assets roll into higher yields. Funds crowded into banks before results, limiting near-term buyers. x.comÂ
JPMorgan's miss on both revenue and earnings strengthens the case for avoiding bank and financial stocks. The earlier bank-index chart rollover had suggested possible profit disappointment, but the observed JPMorgan share weakness is not a near-term price forecast. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Small caps, utilities and regional banks look set for an oversold catch-up rebound as market breadth improves in early October. The broad market should make new highs led by semiconductors and big tech, with small caps and sectors previously held down by rates catching up. x.com x.comÂ
Flagstar's deteriorating asset quality and difficulty improving earnings increase its credit risk. Fitch cut the bank's outlook to negative on its BB+ credit rating, prompting renewed concern about bank failures. x.comÂ