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Germany's Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) fell as much as 12.7%, while Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) hit a new record low after falling 15%. Biden said his administration's rapid actions at the weekend should reassure Americans that the U.S. banking system is safe, and promised stiffer bank regulation after the country's biggest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. "Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe. But big U.S. banks including JP Morgan Chase (JPM.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N) also weakened. In the money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up, as did other indicators of credit risk in the euro zone.

But your second thought is, how big was that crisis, how big were the risks that this step had to be taken?" Trading in shares of SVB's peer Signature Bank (SBNY.O), which was shut down by regulators on Sunday, was halted. Shares of big U.S. banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N) fell between 2.8% and 6.3%. The KBW regional banking index fell 11.2%, while the S&P 500 banks index (.SPXBK) dropped 7.7%. The S&P index recorded no new 52-week highs and 44 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 19 new highs and 321 new lows.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the banking crisis after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. March 13, 2023. Germany's Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) fell as much as 12.7%, while Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) hit a new record low after falling more than 15%. Dowding said he did not think that a lot of the issues affecting U.S. banks would be present in European lenders. It said Silicon Valley Bank UK had loans of around 5.5 billion pounds and deposits of around 6.7 billion pounds as of March 10. U.S. banks lost more than $100 billion in stock market value late last week following SVB's failure, while European banks have now lost a similar amount, a Reuters calculation showed.

Helping futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq gain nearly 1%, U.S. two-year Treasury yields tumbled to more than a month low, while futures for the cyclicals-heavy Dow Jones edged lower. Big Tech and growth companies such as Meta Platforms (META.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) rose between 1% and 2% premarket. Traders' bets are currently equally split between a pause and a 25-basis-point rate hike at the Fed's next meeting in March. The projections of a terminal rate have also receded to just under 5% by June from around 5.5% in September earlier. ET, Dow e-minis were down 48 points, or 0.15%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 5.5 points, or 0.14%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 99.25 points, or 0.84%.

Earlier in the day, Japan's Topix bank index (.IBNKS.T) lost 4%, while Singapore's largest banks also lost ground, down over 1%. The U.S. government stepped in on Sunday with a series of emergency measures to shore up confidence in the banking system following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) (SIVB.O), which marked the biggest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. Smaller banks remained under pressure with U.S. private bank First Republic Bank (FRC.N) plunging around 50% in pre market, and PacWest (PACW.O) down around 26%. U.S. banks lost over $100 billion in stock market value late last week following the collapse, while European banks lost around another $50 billion in value, according to a Reuters calculation. U.S. state regulators on Sunday also closed New York-based Signature Bank (SBNY.O), which became the next casualty of the banking turmoil after SVB.

[1/2] A person walks past the Park Avenue location of the First Republic Bank, in New York City, U.S., March 10, 2023. There were multiple trading halts on bank shares as the KBW regional banking index (.KRX) fell 5.4%, and the S&P 500 banking index (.SPXBK) dropped 6%. Hogan said each regional bank has its own exposure to different parts of the market. He added the fate of regional bank stocks will be "case by case" as investors look to see which ones could have the most negative exposure. "First Republic Bank, which has significant exposure to the coastal real estate markets appears to be next on the list".

☆ Hedge funds stand to lap up bearish profits from bank stock rout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Nell Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - Hedge funds ended last week positioned to scoop up winning profits from bearish positions on bank stock falls, according to a note by Goldman Sachs sent to clients late on Sunday. They sold financially themed shares and banks for nine straight weeks but rather than only exiting long positions, funds added bearish bets, according to the note seen by Reuters. Financials was the most net sold sector globally for Goldman Sachs's prime brokerage division, the part of the bank which serves hedge funds, the note said. Hedge funds not only exited bullish positions on bank themed equities, they added short positions as of Friday, betting bank shares would fall, the Goldman note said. Regional and smaller U.S. bank shares have slid on concerns of a broader fallout in the banking sector.

☆ Bank-rule pendulum swings back to 'safety first'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK, March 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The crisis that struck the U.S. banking system over the weekend had many causes. After the 2008 crisis, Congress bound up the financial system with rules to prevent bank death spirals. The major financial authorities – the Fed, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – applied the lighter touch. The Fed was permitted to retain tough rules for banks with assets over $100 billion, but decided not to. There are, after all, only 17 banks with assets between $100 billion and $250 billion – two fewer than last week.

[1/2] SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) logo is seen through broken glass in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationMarch 10 (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. banks extended recent losses on Friday, with regional banks the hardest hit, as the failure of SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O) reverberated across the financial industry. A California banking regulator on Friday closed SVB, putting the tech-heavy lender into receivership in the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. While SVB's stock was halted on Friday, shares of other mid-sized U.S. banks added to recent, heavy losses. The S&P 500 regional banks index (.SPLRCBNKS) dropped 6%, bringing its loss this week to 20%, its worst week since 2009.

☆ SVB collapse a sign of pain coming from end of easy-cash era
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - The easy-cash era is over and its impact is only just starting to felt by world markets yet to see the end of the sharpest interest rate hiking cycle in decades. European banks slid on Friday after JPMorgan (JPM.N) and BofA (BAC.N) shares fell over 5% on Thursday. BofA noted European banks' bond holdings have not grown since 2015. And with defaults rising, the focus is on the less visible private debt markets, which have ballooned to $1.4 trillion from $250 billion in 2010. Reuters Graphics5/FOR SALEReal estate markets started cracking last year and house prices will fall further this year.

☆ Morning Bid: Bond blows batter banks as SVB cracks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SVB may be an unusual case in point - given its exposure to both last year's attrition in the tech sector, related startups and bond markets. Major U.S. banks were also hit, with Wells Fargo (WFC.N) down 6%, JPMorgan (JPM.N) down 5.4%, Bank of America (BAC.N) 6% lower and Citigroup (C.N) 4% lower. In currency markets, the dollar held the line on Friday in its lonely easy monetary policy stance. The BOJ held off making changes to its controversial bond yield cap policy, leaving all options open ahead of a leadership transition in April. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Big bank selloff rests on tiny kernel of truth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The travails of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) are rippling across the global banking system, wiping billions off the market capitalisations of HSBC (HSBA.L), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and JPMorgan (JPM.N). It’s nonetheless a useful reminder that rising interest rates bring risks as well as benefits. The trigger for the selloff seems to have been a $1.8 billion equity issue by SVB Financial, which does business as Silicon Valley Bank. Shrinking deposits saw Chief Executive Greg Becker sell down a $21 billion portfolio of Treasury and agency mortgage bonds. As interest rates rise banks are charging more for loans.

NEW YORK, March 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Nearly three years with no U.S. bank failures just came to an unseemly end. The bank owned by SVB Financial (SIVB.O) relied more heavily on large, and therefore, uninsured, deposits than other banks. A buyer – say, a bank that covets SVB’s relationship with upwardly mobile entrepreneurs – might swoop in and buy the whole thing. Other depositors would receive certificates of receivership, which entitle them to dividends payable from the proceeds of selling the bank’s assets. SVB had around $165 billion in deposits as of Feb. 28, it said in a presentation on March 8.

☆ Premarket stocks: The Fed wants to limit wage growth. That's particularly bad for women
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s happening: Never-married women earned just 92% of what never-married men did last year, according to the Wells Fargo report. Those wage gaps are “persistently disappointing,” ADP’s Chief Economist Nela Richardson told CNN on Thursday. Markets suffer: Companies with smaller gender pay gaps tend to be rewarded by their shareholders. “The gender pay gap is informing investment strategies,” wrote Refinitiv analysts in a recent report. “Our recent analysis shows that [shares of] companies with no gender pay gap outperform companies with pay gaps between male and female employees,” wrote Refinitiv.

London CNN —The failure of Silicon Valley Bank is rattling markets and raising uncomfortable questions: Will it undermine the broader banking system and start a new meltdown? A crucial lender to US technology startups, the bank came under pressure as Silicon Valley funding dried up, the result of an economic slowdown and rapidly rising interest rates. Bank stocks rattledFounded in 1983, SVB provided financing for almost half of US venture-backed technology and health care companies. SVB put the bonds up for sale as customers, facing leaner times, pulled their money from the bank. Silicon Valley Bank had about $209 billion in total assets and $175 billion in total deposits as of the end of last year, according to the FDIC.

☆ Bank of America names senior Europe TMT bankers in reshuffle -memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Amy-Jo Crowley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) has made a handful of senior appointments within its investment banking team advising European technology, media and telecom (TMT) companies, an internal memo seen by Reuters showed. The memo, which was confirmed by a Bank of America spokesperson, said the U.S. bank has named veterans Alexandre Gafsi and Emmanuel Hibou as chairs of TMT Investment Banking in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to "focus fully on covering some of our key clients". It has also appointed Thomas Koehrer and James Robertson as co-heads of TMT Investment Banking for the EMEA region. Peter Luck, who has been co-head of UK Investment Banking with Robertson, is now taking over full UK responsibilities. Reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley; Additional reporting by Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro; Editing by Elisa Martinuzzi and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Banks tumble as SVB ignites broader fears about the sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sinéad Carew | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The SPDR S&P regional banking ETF (KRE.P) was down 6.0% after hitting its lowest point since January 2021. "The Silicon Valley raise got everybody nervous about people's capital levels and what deposits are doing. "It just gets people freaked out because Silicon Valley, historically has been a very strong, well-run bank. If they're having issues right now, people are wondering what about other banks that are lesser quality and that don't have the reputation that Silicon Valley Bank has." Investors were also grappling with the decline of cryptocurrency-focused lender Silvergate Capital (SI.N), which said earlier this month it was evaluating its ability to operate as a going concern.

☆ Premarket stocks: Jerome Powell's testimony sent markets reeling. That may be a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday cleared the way for larger interest rate hikes at this month’s central bank policy meeting, sending markets into a tailspin. The S&P 500 fell 1.5%, the Dow dropped 575 points, or 1.7%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite ended 1.3% lower. After Powell’s testimony, market expectations for a half-percentage point rate hike spiked. If inflation fails to continue falling, he said, the Fed will keep trying to cool things down by raising rates. Even if Powell was sure that January’s economic data was a fluke, he still wants to maintain the Fed’s credibility.

ET (1500 GMT), with investors awaiting his comments on the Fed's steps aimed at bringing inflation towards its 2% target. Rising bond yields tend to weigh on equity valuations, particularly those of growth and technology stocks, as higher rates reduce the value of future cash flows. ET, Dow e-minis were up 25 points, or 0.07%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 6.25 points, or 0.15%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 32.5 points, or 0.26%. Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS.N) rose 6.1% after the retailer forecast annual earnings above Wall Street estimates and more than doubled its quarterly dividend. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar rises ahead of Powell speech; China data knocks commodities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Beyond China, investor focus remains on the U.S. interest rate outlook and what Powell may say. If a similar message is conveyed by Chair Powell, we could see U.S. Treasury yields rising again and the dollar reversing back to an uptrend," they said. The MSCI All-World index of global shares (.MIWD00000PUS) edged down by 0.1%, but held near Monday's two-week highs. That pushed the Australian dollar to a more than two-month low of $0.6664, marking a loss of 1% on the day. The dollar pared earlier losses against the yen to trade up 0.2% at 136.19, near last week's 2023 high at 137.10.

ET (1500 GMT), with investors awaiting his comments on the Fed's steps aimed at bringing inflation towards its 2% target. Rising bond yields tend to weigh on equity valuations, particularly those of growth and technology stocks, as higher rates reduce the value of future cash flows. Traders see Fed fund rates peaking at 5.46% by September, from the current 4.67%. ET, Dow e-minis were up 12 points, or 0.04%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 5.5 points, or 0.14%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 29.25 points, or 0.24%. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar inches up ahead of Powell speech; China data knocks oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Crude shipments into China fell in January and February, stirring concern about demand in the world's largest importer, which weighed on the oil price. Beyond China, investor focus remains on the U.S. interest rate outlook and what Powell may say. The dollar edged up against a basket of major currencies, thanks to gains against the Aussie dollar and the euro, which fell 0.2% to $1.0661. The dollar lost 0.2% against the yen to trade at 135.69, below last week's 2023 high at 137.10. Chinese trade data on Tuesday showed a pickup in crude oil imports - a sign of a likely improvement in energy demand.

☆ Asian stocks slip on weak China trade data, focus shifts to Powell
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Data on Tuesday showed China's exports and imports both fell sharply in January-February, reflecting a slowdown in the global economy and weak domestic demand. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.3%, although the index is up 2.9% so far this month. Beyond China, investor focus remains on the U.S. interest rate outlook and what Powell may say. The two-year yield , which rises with traders' expectations of higher Fed fund rates, touched 4.88% compared with a U.S. close of 4.894%. In early European trade, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures were up 0.12%, German DAX futures rose 0.11% at and FTSE futures were 0.23% higher.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was flat after U.S. stocks ended the previous session with mild gains. The two-year yield , which rises with traders' expectations of higher Fed fund rates, touched 4.8945% compared with a U.S. close of 4.894%. Australian shares (.AXJO) were 0.1% lower after being down 0.3% earlier in the session, while Japan's Nikkei stock index (.N225) rose 0.5%. "In the next couple of days the congressional testimony will be critical for markets. Investors have repriced what they think the Fed will do with interest rates in March and into the second quarter," said Tai Hui, JPMorgan Asset Management's chief Asian market strategist.

NEW YORK , March 7 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp's (BAC.N) Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan had a clear message for shareholders on Tuesday: "We are capitalists." The proclamation from the head of the second-largest U.S. lender might seem obvious, but comes at a time when Wall Street titans face more criticism for embracing environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. The word "capitalism" is mentioned 22 times in BofA's latest annual report spanning 222 pages, rising from 16 times a year earlier. Still, the CEO acknowledged there are concerns about whether companies share profits or pay people fairly and equitably. The lender outlined its ESG goals in the report, including a pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and deploy $1.5 trillion in sustainable finance by 2030.

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