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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.

☆ Bank of America CEO sees U.S. technical recession in 3rd qtr
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, March 7 (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said on Tuesday the U.S. economy would reach a technical recession starting in the third quarter. I don't think you'll see a deep recession," he said. Moynihan said the bank forecast U.S. interest rates would start to be reduced in the second quarter of 2024. I don't think you're going to see a deep recession," Moynihan said. "I think you're going to see a slowdown which frankly a lot of people are not going to see that much of.

☆ Richard Rosenberg, former Bank of America chief who doubled its assets, dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Lananh Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, March 5 (Reuters) - Richard Rosenberg, the former Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) chief executive who presided over a spree of acquisitions that doubled the bank's assets, has died. Rosenberg, a former Navy commander, served as the bank's chairman and CEO from 1990 to 1996. He took the helm as the industry was deregulating and orchestrated several major deals including a $4 billion merger with Security Pacific National Bank, one the largest banking deals of its time. They have since swelled to more $3 trillion after more deals, including the purchase of Merrill Lynch during the 2008 financial crisis. He joined Bank of America in 1987 to run its California operations, helping the company to swing to a profit from losses.

☆ Here are the most overbought and oversold stocks on Wall Street right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Some of the most overbought and oversold stocks on Wall Street right now include Bank of America and a water treatment company. Meanwhile, a stock with a 14-day RSI lower than 30 is considered oversold, a signal of poor sentiment around the firm. According to a CNBC Pro screen of FactSet data, here are the 10 most overbought stocks in the S & P 500. Ecolab was among the most overbought stocks in the S & P 500. Other overbought names include Clorox Co . and Mosaic Co. We also screened for the most oversold stocks in the benchmark stock index.

☆ US Justice Dept warns of steeper penalties for firms that fall foul of messaging policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Chris Prentice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MIAMI, March 3 (Reuters) - Companies may face steeper penalties for misconduct if they lack policies around employees' use of personal cell phones and messaging apps, a top U.S. Justice Department official said on Friday. The agency will evaluate how companies have crafted policies around the use of such platforms and how they have directed employees on those policies. Use of such platforms, including ephemeral messaging apps, can complicate government investigations into wrongdoing if companies do not retain the records. That is an issue that prosecutors will address as they investigate wrongdoing, Polite told Reuters in an interview. "They will be required to report back to us on an annual basis about both the design and implementation of those policies," Polite said.

☆ US Justice Dept to take on corporate policies for personal devices, messaging apps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Chris Prentice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MIAMI, March 3 (Reuters) - A top U.S. Justice Department official on Friday will announce details of the agency's plans to scrutinize companies' policies around employee use of personal devices and messaging apps when investigating potential misconduct. Those probes have led to hefty penalties for firms including JPMorgan Chase & Co , Barclays (BARC.L), Bank of America (BAC.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N). The agency has more recently opened similar probes into other firms including BlackRock Inc. Polite will also discuss details of a new Justice Department policy aimed at getting companies to tie compensation and bonuses to compliance. He and other officials have been rolling out a series of new policies aimed at tackling corporate crime and encouraging companies to be more proactive in reporting misconduct to the government.

☆ Morning Bid: Inflation 'blip' or brave new world?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. Federal Reserve officials wrestled on Thursday with whether recent data showing inflation, jobs and spending all hotter than expected was a flash in the pan. "It could be that progress has stalled, or it is possible that the numbers released last month were a blip," said Fed Governor Christopher Waller. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic urged a "slow and steady" course of policy response. The resilience of stock markets more generally to the week's bond market quake is notable and slightly puzzling - with implied volatility in bonds (.MOVE) climbing sharply while stock market equivalents (.VIX) subside. Two-year U.S. inflation expectations in the Treasury market climbed to 3% from 2% since early last month.

HONG KONG, March 3 (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) and Citigroup (C.N) have cut some investment banking jobs in Asia, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, joining global peers in paring headcount as China dealmaking slows. Citi on Thursday trimmed four jobs from its China investment banking team, said one of the two people and a separate person. BofA and Citi both declined to comment on layoffs involving investment bankers in Asia. JPMorgan (JPM.N) has also cut around 20 investment banking jobs, mostly mid-level bankers focused on China deals, according to two separate sources. Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T) has cut 18 Asian banking jobs, most of them China-focused investment banking roles, sources have said.

☆ Final Trades: JPM, COO, BAC & BA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Melissa Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinal Trades: JPM, COO, BAC & BAThe investors offer their final trades of the week. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Karen Finerman, Tim Seymour, Steve Grasso and Julie Biel.

☆ A freelancer who makes 6-figures says that anyone can turn writing into a side hustle. He shares the 'funny and unconventional' cover letter that landed him his first major gig without a writing bac
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He sent The Motley Fool an unconventional cover letter and it worked. Still, he decided to try his hand at freelance writing to make some extra money to spend on travel. "I had no qualifications so I resorted to shock value," he said of his application to The Motley Fool. The 27-year-old believes that anyone can try out freelance writing as a side hustle, regardless of your background. Courtesy of Tony Dong"Fortune favors the bold, or so I'm told," added Dong, who still writes for The Motley Fool today.

☆ Investors step into U.S. bank stocks, but with some caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sinéad Carew | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The S&P 500 bank subsector (.SPXBK) is up 4.9% so far in 2023 slightly ahead of the benchmark S&P 500's (.SPX) 3.3% gain. But some investors are circumspect as banks themselves warned during earnings season in January that they expect higher loan losses and weaker demand for borrowing. The rate increases have boosted banks' income, giving them the go-ahead to charge higher interest rates for loans. But now, bank customers with savings accounts are seeking out higher interest rates on deposits, offsetting some lending gains. Barclay's analyst Jason Goldberg sees economic strength as a bigger factor for bank stocks this year than the Fed hikes path.

Reuters reported in March 2020 that Syneos was working with investment bank Centerview Partners LLC to explore a sale. Syneos, which has a market capitalization of $3.9 billion and carries a $2.9 billion debt pile, was not immediately available for comment. Based in Morrisville, North Carolina, Syneos helps pharmaceutical companies with clinical trials and to market their drugs. There has been a wave of consolidation among contract research organizations in a bid to lower costs, amass more clinical trial data and win customers. Labcorp (LH.N), for example, said earlier this month that it will complete the spinoff of its contract research organization, called Fortrea, by the middle of this year.

☆ Buffett's Berkshire posts record annual operating profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday reported its highest-ever annual operating profit, even as foreign currency losses and lower gains from investments caused fourth-quarter profit to fall. Quarterly operating profit fell 8% to $6.71 billion, or $4,596 per Class A share, from $7.29 billion. Profit also fell at the BNSF railroad, while Berkshire generated more profit from its energy businesses and more income from its insurance investments as interest rates rose. For all of 2022, Berkshire lost $22.82 billion, largely because of losses in its $308.8 billion common stock portfolio. "We're delighted to see the growth in float," said Thomas Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Quinn who helps invest $8 billion, about 17% of which is in Berkshire stock.

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☆ U.S. business equipment borrowings grow 6% in January - ELFA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. companies borrowed 6% more in January to finance equipment investments from a year earlier, industry body Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) said on Friday. New business volume, however, was down 32% month-on-month after the typical end-of-quarter, end-of-year spike in new business activity. ELFA, which reports economic activity for the $1 trillion equipment finance sector, said credit approvals were 75.1%, down from 76.6% in December. Washington-based ELFA's leasing and finance index measures the volume of commercial equipment financed in the United States. The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, ELFA's non-profit affiliate, said its confidence index in February stood at 51.8, an increase from 48.5 in January.

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BofA) (BAC.N) amassed $1.2 billion in expenses for litigation and regulatory investigations last year including fines and settlements, according to a company filing on Wednesday. BofA also paid $225 million in penalties to U.S. financial regulators last year over employees' use of unauthorized messaging platforms including WhatsApp. A pair of banking regulators also fined the bank $225 million over what they called a "botched" handling of jobless benefits during the pandemic. While those three cases led to just over $800 million in combined expenses last year, BofA did not specify what accounted for the remaining $400 million. Some other U.S. banks also received hefty penalties in 2022.

☆ Amazon, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Nvidia are in the headlines. Here's our take on the news
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Club holdings Amazon (AMZN), Wells Fargo (WFC) as well as Nvidia (NVDA) and Microsoft (MSFT) are in the news Wednesday. In buying tech-focused One Medical, Amazon has said the companies together can make visiting the doctor an easier and more convenient experience. The news: A pair of banking regulators are investigating record-keeping failures at Wells Fargo, according to the company's annual filing. Specifically, Wells Fargo said the probes from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are focused on "business communications sent over unapproved electronic messaging channels." The Club's take: This is new disclosure from Wells Fargo is not cause for concern.

☆ Warren Buffett is missing out on this year’s market comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But the Oracle of Omaha has missed out on this year’s stock market rally. Buffett, in fact, has promoted that idea to investors many times, arguing that most individual stock pickers will not be able to beat the market. And to his credit, that usually pays dividends: Berkshire stock was up 3% last year in a down market. “High rates of inflation create a tax on capital that makes much corporate investment unwise,” Buffett said in his 1980 shareholder letter to Berkshire investors. Investors will get several more clues about consumer spending this week when several top retailers report earnings.

☆ Charlie Munger still likes big banks and hates crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I might have different ideas [than Buffett],” Munger said about bank stocks at the annual meeting for the Los Angeles-based newspaper publisher Daily Journal, where Munger was chairman until last year. Munger remains a board director at Daily Journal and is one of its top investors. Daily Journal, like Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB), is a conglomerate that also owns some individual stocks. Daily Journal’s portfolio is much smaller than Berkshire’s. Munger said he doesn’t want to sell Daily Journal’s bank investments because Daily Journal bought many of the stocks at the bottom during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

The planned listing will end a prolonged hiatus in initial public offerings (IPO) on Spain's main market since renewables company Opdenergy's (OPDE.MC) lackluster debut in July. EiDF Solar, which installs solar panels, currently trades on the junior market of the BME Exchange and plans to relist its shares on the senior stock market, known as Mercado Continuo. The group must place more shares with investors to meet a 25% minimum free-float requirement for the country's main market. Shares in EiDF, one of the most actively traded stocks on BME Growth, have rocketed since its stock market debut in 2021. It posted third-quarter 2022 revenues of 315.54 million euros, up from 30.55 million euros the previous year, and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 46.86 million euros, up from 7.10 million euros.

His counterpart at Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Brian Moynihan, cited resilient consumer finances and spending as positive signs. At a separate event, Bank of America's CEO reiterated what he has been saying for months - that consumer spending remains robust and is underpinning the economy. While consumer spending remains healthy, credit card delinquencies are increasing, and growth in Wells Fargo's commercial bank is moderating, he said. Despite some easing concern about an economic slowdown, the bank chiefs said they were managing headcount to constrain costs. It aims to have a workforce of about 213,000 to 214,000 in the next three to four months, Moynihan said, down from 216,823 at the end of 2022.

His counterpart at Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Brian Moynihan, cited resilient consumer finances and spending as positive signs. At a separate event, Bank of America's CEO reiterated what he has been saying for months - that consumer spending remains robust and is underpinning the economy. JOB CUTSDespite some easing concern about an economic slowdown, the bank chiefs said they were managing headcount to constrain costs. It aims to have a workforce of about 213,000 to 214,000 in the next three to four months, Moynihan said, down from 216,823 at the end of 2022. While consumer spending remains healthy, credit card delinquencies are increasing, and growth in Wells Fargo's commercial bank is moderating, he said.

Feb 9 (Reuters) - PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL.O) forecast full-year profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday and said Chief Executive Dan Schulman will retire at the end of 2023, after nearly eight and a half years at the payment firm's helm. PayPal said it expects full-year adjusted profit of roughly $4.87 on a per share basis. PayPal earned a profit of $1.24 per share on an adjusted basis in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, beating analyst estimates of $1.20 per share. PayPal was one of the biggest winners during the COVID pandemic when people locked at home used its platform while shopping online. Reporting by Manya Saini and Jaiveer Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ KBW downgrades Bank of America, says the stock trades at an unwarranted premium to its peers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Now is not the time for investors to get into shares of Bank of America , according to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. BAC YTD mountain Bank of America's 2023 performance Bank of America shares are up more than 10% this year after falling 25.6% in 2022. In its fourth-quarter report, Bank of America topped expectations as higher rates offset some declines within investment banking. According to Konrad, shares look vulnerable after the run-up in shares post-earnings and consensus cuts to PPNR, a profitability measure that accounts for net interest and non-interest income. The stock also trades at a premium to peers despite lower expected returns, and above its historical price-to-earnings multiple.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Exxon, Disney, Tesla, Apple, Affirm, Ulta, Alphabet & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Baird downgrades Bunge to neutral from outperform Baird downgraded the agribusiness and food company's after its disappointing earnings report on Wednesday. JPMorgan reiterates Uber as a top pick JPMorgan says it's sticking with the stock after its "strong" earnings report on Wednesday. Goldman Sachs reiterates Exxon as buy Goldman says it's sticking with its buy rating on shares of Exxon. Bank of America reiterates Apple as neutral Bank of America says Apple Services are at risk for further deceleration. Oppenheimer reiterates Ulta as outperform Oppenheimer says the bull case still has legs" for Ulta.

But unlike ICBC and its peers, Ant neither took deposits, nor piled risky loans onto its balance sheet. Free from the red tape that binds regular banks, the loans facilitated by Ant ballooned. Digital offerings accounted for half of overall consumer loans in China, Fitch Ratings calculated in 2021. Ant is set to become a licensed financial holding company, putting it under the close watch of China's main banking regulator. Beijing wants Chinese consumers to consume, so is likely to indulge controlled growth of consumer credit.

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