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JP Morgan Chase & CoJPMCOMMENTDec 22, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 12, 2026. Market Open.
One of the largest US banks, the gold standard. Leading across all divisions. Consistently delivers some of the strongest returns in the industry.
Just reported strong quarter, record trading revenue, earnings up 13%, revenue ahead of expectations. Pulled back on slightly higher expense guidance. Higher-quality name, trades at a premium (for good reason).
Citi is still a turnaround story. CEO has been simplifying the business -- cutting costs and focusing on strongest franchises. Strong quarter, beat on revenue and earnings. Outperforming peers. Cheaper, with more upside potential (but more risk if turnaround stops working).
She's sticking with JPM, but C is a reasonable choice if you like the turnaround angle.
There is a correlation with financial institutions in the country and internationally and it shows in the chart. He doesn't see a ton of buying volume. It is a similar situation to Royal Bank and is highly connected to the stock market index. He sees some support but wouldn't put new money into it at this point. Banks are definitely a long term holding even though every ten years they can go through a big drop from their highs.
Wells Fargo (WFC-N) or J.P. Morgan (JPM-N)? A lot of the small mid-cap oil companies have heavy exposure, from a banking point of view, along refined (?) equity issues. Not sure of the concentration for the oil exposure, but given the run-up we have had globally, he would think that everything from the A&P companies to the pipelines, etc. will have impacts. Historically Wells Fargo has been considered to have the best risk management culture. This showed up during the banking blow-up, as they didn’t have to take the money. This bank was considered to be #2. Both are quite good. Wells Fargo is more of a consumer driven story where this one is a banking driven story. He would rather chase the regional trade, because there is still a lot of regulatory glare been exposed to the money centred banks. Of the 2, he would favour Wells Fargo.