JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is one the largest and most diversified banks in the U.S. and offers services such as retail banking, commercial banking, asset management, investment banking, consumer lending and credit cards. Its main competitors include Bank of America (BAC), Wells Fargo (WFC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Deutsche Bank (DB) and Morgan Stanley (MS).

We have a price estimate of $48.87 for JPMorgan's stock, roughly 5% above the current market price.

Continue reading Global Equity Underwriting Outlook Puts JPMorgan in Promising Position

Global Equity Underwriting Outlook Puts JPMorgan in Promising Position originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

JPMorgan (JPM) overall option implied volatility of 26 is below its 26-week average of 32, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Cisco (CSCO) overall option implied volatility is at 28, according to Track Data, near its 26-week average into its release of Q2 EPS on February 9, suggesting nondirectional price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: JPMorgan Volatility Low; Shares Near Nine-Month High originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading JPMorgan Chase Trading Lower Due to Madoff Allegations

JPMorgan Chase Trading Lower Due to Madoff Allegations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Is Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stoking inflation? Of course he is. Anyone with common sense knows that if you give $600 billion cash to the banks with no qualifications -- as he did with the second round of quantitative easing -- they will use it to speculate in the markets. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) just bought $1 billion of copper.

Bernanke's fatal mistake was that he placed no restrictions on what the banks would do with his $600 billion. If you opened the banks' books, you can bet that they've invested in commodities, currencies and foreign equities and bonds.

Continue reading Bernanke Denies Causing Inflation

Bernanke Denies Causing Inflation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bank earnings are coming in mixed. A few days ago, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) reported its profit was up 47%. Then, Goldman Sachs (GS) reported earnings were down 52%. And on Wednesday, we got a stellar performance by Morgan Stanley (MS).

The Wall Street Journal reports that Morgan Stanley's profits were up 35% to $867 million, up from $460 million a year ago. Earnings jumped to 41 cents per share from 29 cents per share. Net revenue jumped 14% to $7.81 billion. Analysts at Thomson Reuters had forecast earnings of 35 cents a share on $7.35 billion.

Continue reading Morgan Stanley's Profit Rose 35%

Morgan Stanley's Profit Rose 35% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings season ramps up this week. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters foresee strong reports from such big names as Apple (AAPL), eBay (EBAY), IBM (IBM), General Electric (GE), Google (GOOG), Schlumberger (SLB) and Southwest Airlines (LUV). And fast on the heels of last week's big earnings beat from JPMorgan Chase (JPM), there will be plenty more results from the financial sector to peruse this week.

Among the financials expected to post double-digit earnings growth this week are Capital One Financial (COF), Morgan Stanley (MS), SLM Corp. (SLM) and U.S. Bancorp (USB), but the week's biggest earnings winner may be Wells Fargo (WFC).

Continue reading Week in Preview: Banks in the Earnings Spotlight

Week in Preview: Banks in the Earnings Spotlight originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading JPMorgan Chase Profit Soars, May Raise Dividend

JPMorgan Chase Profit Soars, May Raise Dividend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Alcoa (AA), Intel (INTC) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) will kick off a new earnings season this week when they report their results for the fourth quarter of 2010. Here's a quick look at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to see, followed by a glance at what's coming up on the economic calendar.

Alcoa

During its fourth quarter, Alcoa saw increased demand in emerging markets, sold surplus properties, and shared revenue targets with investors. Analysts forecast that earnings for the period will come to 19 cents per share, up from just a penny per share in the same quarter of last year. The New York-based aluminum producer also is expected to post revenue of $5.7 billion for the three months that ended in December, which is 4.5% more than a year earlier.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Alcoa, Intel, JPMorgan Kick Off New Earnings Season

Week in Preview: Alcoa, Intel, JPMorgan Kick Off New Earnings Season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Financial firm JPMorgan Chase (JPM) released its much-anticipated third-quarter earnings Wednesday morning, revealing that its profit increased 23%. JPM earned $4.42 billion, or $1.01 per share, during the quarter -- far better than the $3.59 billion, or 82 cents per share, earned a year ago. Not only did JPM destroy last year's earnings, but the company also handily topped the consensus estimate of 90 cents per share.

One reason for the stronger-than-expected results is the fact that JPM set aside $1.55 billion for retail credit losses in the quarter compared to $3.99 billion a year ago. That said, CEO Jamie Dimon warned that loan losses are still high in the mortgage and credit card portfolios, but these losses aren't continuing to rise as they did during the recession. Dimon added that JPM is expecting losses in the credit-card division during the next quarter.

Continue reading JPMorgan Chase Earnings Increase 23%

JPMorgan Chase Earnings Increase 23% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings season kicked off last week with better-than-expected results from Alcoa (AA) and Yum! Brands (YUM), while Marriott (MAR) and Pepsico (PEP) met consensus EPS estimates. This week, bellwether companies Intel (INTC), General Electric (GE), Google (GOOG) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) are scheduled to report their third-quarter results, and analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings growth from all of them.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel announced the acquisition of McAfee and joint ventures with General Electric and Nokia (NOK) during its third quarter. Analysts forecast earnings for that period to come to 50 cents per share, which is up 34.0% from the same period of last year. The number one semiconductor maker's revenue for the three months ended in September is expected to total $11.0 billion, or 17.1% more than a year earlier. Looking ahead to the full year, the forecast thus far is for earnings of $1.94 per share (+44.8%) and $43.3 billion in revenue (+23.4%). The per-share earnings topped analysts' expectations in the past four quarters, by as much as a dime per share.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Intel, GE, Google and JPMorgan

Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Intel, GE, Google and JPMorgan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yup. You've read it right. A JPMorgan trader lost $130 million trading coal. You are probably wondering why a bank like JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is trading coal. That's a good question. But the answer is that banks love to gamble with your money. They gamble every day in the commodity markets.

The new Volcker rule is designed to prevent banks from gambling in the commodity markets, or any other markets for that matter. Most banks have spun off their proprietary trading units. Goldman Sachs (GS) plans to do so. We have not read about JPMorgan yet. This should get the attention of board members, who should tell CEO Jamie Dimon to get cracking and spin off their proprietary trading unit.

Continue reading JPMorgan Trader Loses $130 Million Trading Coal

JPMorgan Trader Loses $130 Million Trading Coal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As Wall Street watches to see which direction the S&P 500 is going to go this week, investors in Bank of America (BAC) have already made their decision. They are sending the stock south.

Bank of America gapped down after its earnings announcement on Friday, July 16, and it is continuing to move lower this week. In fact, the stock is at its lowest level since July 2009.

If you are getting nervous about Bank of America, you are not alone. Goldman Sachs announced today that it is removing the stock from its Conviction Buy List -- citing the bank's announcement that its debit interchange fees could fall by as much as 80%. Goldman went on to say that JPMorgan Chase (JPM) looks like a better bet than Bank of America.

Continue reading Bank of America Down to Single Digits?

Bank of America Down to Single Digits? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The new earnings season kicks off when Alcoa Inc. (AA) releases its second-quarter results Monday. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters on average expect Alcoa to report that it swung to a profit from a year-ago net loss.

Intel Corp. (INTC) is likewise forecast to have swung into positive territory, while Google Inc. (GOOG) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are expected to be among the week's biggest earnings gainers.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: A New Earnings Season Kicks Off (INTC, GOOG, JPM)

The Week in Preview: A New Earnings Season Kicks Off (INTC, GOOG, JPM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stocks with Ties to Independence Day - Part 1: US vs. UK

Stocks with Ties to Independence Day - Part 1: US vs. UK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tesla IPO: Hot Stock or Portfolio Shock?

Tesla IPO: Hot Stock or Portfolio Shock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Friday, Bank of America (BAC) and Mattel (MAT) reported first-quarter earnings data. How do these two look after their respective releases?

Let's go with the financial business first. Bank of America is a solid brand in the money-services arena. Over the last year, the stock has risen very nicely, as the BAC chart clearly shows. Shares of the company were quite close to the 52-week high of $19.86 on Thursday before the Q1 numbers were sent to the market.

Continue reading How Do Bank of America and Mattel Look After Their Reports?

How Do Bank of America and Mattel Look After Their Reports? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is a financial stock, and as such, you've got a right to be cautious about it, considering what's happened to the economy over the last couple years. Today, however, the equity, whose colleagues include Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C), appears pretty appealing. Wall Street enjoyed the results of the bank's first quarter, expressing its opinion by sending in the buy order.

As of this writing, shares of the company are up well over 3%, on robust volume. The stock has been strong since its last downturn, which ended back in February, according to the one-year chart.

Continue reading JPMorgan Chase Up on Q1 News

JPMorgan Chase Up on Q1 News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The securities business is highly competitive, probably the most competitive. The pressure to secure big clients and to bring the greatest trading profits is enormous.

Right now, Goldman Sachs (GS) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) lead the industry in trading. Goldman has high-speed trading, which generates the largest profits per trade on Wall Street. Naturally, clients are attracted to Goldman because they can give them the best executions and generate the biggest profits in their managed accounts.

Continue reading Morgan Stanley Is Hiring Hundreds of Traders

Morgan Stanley Is Hiring Hundreds of Traders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded JPMorgan (JPM) to buy from hold on valuation as it finds the risk/reward on shares attractive following yesterday's sell-off. Citi keeps a $48 price target on the stock.
• Oppenheimer upgraded International Game Tech (IGT) to outperform from perform as it believes fundamentals for slot suppliers will improve over the next two years. The firm has a $29 price target on the stock.
• SunTrust believes Perry Ellis (PERY) is now positioned to deliver stronger margins and significant reductions in charge-backs. Shares were upgraded to buy from neutral.
• Nordstrom (JWN) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Tyson Foods (TSN) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Consol Energy (CNX) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMAT, BDX, JPM, JWN, POT, SCHW, TSN ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMAT, BDX, JPM, JWN, POT, SCHW, TSN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the true icons of finance, Goldman Sachs Group (GS), issued its Q4 report this morning. The stock has been weak off the numbers; at the time of this writing, shares were down well over 5%, and volume was very active. Looking through the press release, I didn't come away as bearish as the market. Then again, the session as a whole was rather choppy, so perhaps overall sentiment was exerting an influence. Still, a 5% sell-off is notable.

Let's look at some highlights. For the fourth quarter, Goldman, whose colleagues include JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Morgan Stanley (MS), made $8.20 per share. Last year at this time, the company reported a loss of $4.97 per share. Besides improving year-over-year, per-share profit increased over 50% on a sequential basis as well. According to Earnings.com, $5.20 was the number to beat.

Continue reading Goldman Sachs Not In Demand After Q4 Report

Goldman Sachs Not In Demand After Q4 Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.