Nicholas Mugalli
Institutional TMT & Macro Research, AI/Semiconductors/Policy
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
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
JPMorgan looks remarkably cheap against nearly every other bank despite being the best of them. Its forward P/E looks to be around 13. 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
JPMorgan is buyable on pullbacks to its daily 9-period moving average ahead of an earnings run-up in early July, with financials such as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Interactive Brokers and Bank of America doing great. x.comÂ
The big six US banks should report great Q2 results as the front line of a solid economy. Net interest income, fee growth, steady credit trends and capital levels all look supportive, and valuations remain cheap, leaving opportunities to add. x.comÂ
AI savings agents threaten the deposit spread behind the four largest US banks' profits. Per a Jefferies report, UK firm Riff's agent automatically moves money out of zero-interest accounts; if it scales, such balances could fall 80% and deposit margins from 190 to about 20 basis points, a hit near 80% of major UK bank profits. JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup earned $69B of net interest income last quarter, over double their profits. Jefferies calls it 'when, not if'. x.com … Show more
Bank negativity may be priced in for Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America; stable credit and an active deal pipeline could bring relief. Goldman and Morgan Stanley are down about 14% in three months and sit 22% and 17% below their highs, respectively; Bank of America lost 13% in a month. x.comÂ
US financials could lead the market into year-end if the Fed signals at the upcoming FOMC that rates will stay higher for longer, as expected. The financial sector is breaking out on the weekly chart, and banks such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America are quietly reclaiming trend and pushing toward new highs. x.comÂ
Citigroup's rally looks overdone. It is not a super-premium franchise, yet the stock has tripled since 2023. CEO Jane Fraser's plan is working and the shares were far cheaper than other money-center banks for the past decade, as @RAMCOCAPITAL notes, but the market seems to be making the wrong call on whether Citi is a credit card issuer or an investment bank and broker, though that view could be mistaken. x.com x.comÂ
Citigroup stands out in a lagging bank sector as the only major bank in an uptrend, the only one within 5% of its 52-week high, and the one with the lowest PEG ratio among the majors. An inverse head-and-shoulders continuation pattern is in play with a $165 target. x.comÂ
