Banking stocks face losses amid economic uncertainty, lack of positive catalysts, and rising interest rates. JPMorgan and Bank of America experience major drops. Analyst downgrades Regions Financial Corp.
Banking stocks faced significant losses on Friday as investors remained uncertain about the health of the economy and lacked positive catalysts. The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF XLF plunged 1.7%, reaching a seven-month low in afternoon trading. Out of the 72 equity components, 67 experienced a decline. This ETF has already dropped by 5.1% this month, resulting in its first three-month losing streak since April 2022.
Alongside this decline, the SPDR S&P Bank ETF KBE witnessed a 2.6% slide, while the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF KRE sank 2.7%. In comparison, the S&P 500 index SPX declined by 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite COMP saw a 0.4% rally.
J.P. Morgan analyst Vivek Juneja expressed his opinion on the recent weakness in the sector. Although valuations may seem attractive, Juneja advised investors to remain on the sidelines due to the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook and the implications of potentially higher interest rates in the long term.
Another factor contributing to the sector's current struggles is the lack of a near-term catalyst, as noted by Juneja in a communication to clients. Commercial loans are weak, capital markets issuance has shown decreased activity, and an election year further complicates the economic outlook.
Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. within the financial ETF (XLF) took a significant hit, dropping 3.5% in one day. This decline marks the largest drop since March 17 and the stock is on track to close at its lowest point since May 31.
The bank recently announced that Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and his family plan to sell approximately $140 million worth of the bank's stock. Their reasoning behind this move is attributed to financial diversification and tax planning purposes.
Bank of America Corp.'s stock (BAC) also experienced a major selloff, plummeting 3.7% in a single day. This decline matches the largest drop since March 17 as well, with the stock expected to close at its lowest point since November 6, 2020.
Other prominent banks within the XLF also suffered losses. Citigroup Inc.'s shares slid by 2.5%, reaching a three-and-a-half-year low. Wells Fargo & Co. experienced a 2.1% drop, while Morgan Stanley declined by 2.0%, both reaching their lowest points in two-and-a-half years.
Regions Financial Corp. faced its own challenges, with the stock slumping by 2.8% and headed towards its lowest close since November 6, 2020. Analyst Juneja recently downgraded his rating on the regional bank from buy to neutral and removed the stock from J.P. Morgan's Analyst Focus List.
Juneja has identified a lack of catalysts for Regions' stock to outperform its peers. Additionally, amidst the bank's surprising higher fraud costs in the last two quarters, Juneja believes that investing more in cybersecurity will be necessary for Regions' success moving forward.
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