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The S&P Regional Banking Index fell approximately 25% during the quarter as a run on deposits sank Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March, both of which were at the time the largest banking failures since the Great Financial Crisis. The S&P Regional Banking index is now down 36% for the year to date. Famed "Big Short" investor Michael Burry's Scion Asset Management, meanwhile, added a number of new positions in regional banks, including stakes in First Republic, PacWest (PACW.O) and Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N). Shares of regional banks have remained volatile in recent weeks, with some investors wary of more tumult to come in the sector. London-based Marshall Wace sold 51,300 shares of First Republic in the first quarter, closing its position in the bank.

☆ Foreign buying of US Treasuries in March hits largest since June 2021 -data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There were lots of buying by China, lots of buying by Japan. Japan, however, had been selling Treasuries for most of 2022 to help boost a weak yen. China had been selling Treasuries as well, like Japan for most of last year. U.S. residents, meanwhile, increased their holdings of long-term foreign securities, with net purchases of $22.8 billion, compared with net selling of $8.3 billion in February. Overall, net foreign purchases of long-term securities are estimated to have been $133.3 billion in March, up sharply from February's inflows of $56.6 billion, data showed.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Top U.S. banking regulators plan to tell lawmakers the government will be open to future bank mergers, but are committed to establishing tougher rules after recent turmoil. Barr maintained his commitment to overhauling bank rules to ensure firms do not escape stricter oversight because they are smaller or viewed as less risky. "The prudential regulation and supervision of these institutions merits additional attention, particularly with respect to capital, liquidity, and interest rate risk," he said in prepared testimony. While vowing to draft tougher rules, the agencies have also been criticized for not identifying and preventing weaknesses before the lenders failed. In prepared testimony, he said rapid interest rate increases and social media-fueled rumors drove the "unprecedented" bank run that sank his firm.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. banking regulator plans to tell lawmakers his agency is "open-minded" when it comes to potential bank mergers and would act on any proposed deal in a timely fashion. Recent turmoil has added "urgency" to the OCC's work on updating bank merger guidelines, Hsu said. Tuesday's hearing will be the first for regulators since the FDIC agreed to sell failed First Republic Bank to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) this month. Watchdogs have been under intense scrutiny after the collapses of SVB and Signature set off fears of contagion. In prepared testimony, he said rapid interest rate increases and social media-fueled rumors drove the "unprecedented" bank run that sank his firm.

☆ Bridgewater dumps bank stocks amid turmoil in first quarter -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan... Read moreSAO PAULO, May 15 (Reuters) - Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge funds, sold off U.S. bank stocks in the first quarter as the industry was roiled by the collapse of three lenders, according to regulatory filings. Global hedge funds cut their exposure to U.S. banking stocks to a near 10-year low in March and fled lending-sensitive shares amid turmoil in the industry following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The firm also slashed its positions in smaller banks such as Bank of Hawaii Corp (BOH.N), Pacwest Bancorp (PACW.O), PNC Financial Services Group (PNC.N), Citizens Financial Group (CFG.N) and Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N). Bridgewater was also bearish on European banks in March, after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sparked contagion fears across global banks, a Reuters report showed. Following SVB, Signature Bank was also placed into receivership in March, while JPMorgan bought First Republic Bank's assets earlier this month.

☆ 'Big Short' investor Burry bet on regional banks in first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A branch of First Republic Bank is seen. First Republic collapsed May 1, making it the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. The filings did not show whether Scion had sold its positions before then. The positions were revealed in quarterly securities fillings known as 13-fs. Burry was featured in the 2010 nonfiction book "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis which was made into a popular movie five years later.

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Jim Simons' Renaissance Technologies LLC was among the prominent funds that took positions in embattled regional bank First Republic Bank (FRCB.PK) during the first quarter ahead of the firm's May 1 collapse, according to securities filings released on Monday. Renaissance Technologies LLC, which has more than $100 billion in assets under management, bought approximately 7.1 million shares of First Republic during the first quarter and held them as of March 31, when they closed at $13.99 per share. Boston-based Adage Capital Partners, meanwhile, added a new position of approximately 185,000 shares of First Republic during the quarter, while New York-based Alpine Global Management LP added a new position of approximately 1.7 million shares in the company, filings showed. Renaissance Technologies, Adage Capital and Alpine Global did not respond to requests to comment for this story. Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US regional banks rise in attempt to shake off crisis of confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

... Read moreMay 15 (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. regional lenders gained on Monday led by a rebound in PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O), as investors tried to look past the crisis of confidence brought on by the collapse of three banks in a span of two months. PacWest rose 8.4%, while Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB.O), Comerica Inc (CMA.N) and KeyCorp (KEY.N) were up between 2% and 6%. The KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX), which had lost 13.7% so far this month, rose 2%. Then in May First Republic collapsed, creating a vicious cycle that put pressure on regulators to intervene. However, investors have remained wary of any reassurances from analysts and regulators on the stability of the regional banks despite deposits rising.

☆ In the Market: Why US regional banks are doomed to a doom loop
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Paritosh Bansal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Brian SnyderMay 15 (Reuters) - Banking regulators have been pushed by market volatility in recent weeks into doing things that they haven't really wanted to do, like letting the largest U.S. bank get even bigger. Take the case of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), one of the main banking regulators. These banks provide credit to vast sections of the U.S. economy, and deposit flight has forced them to pull back on lending. They have provided banks with lifelines that give them enough cash to meet deposit withdrawals, for example. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday that nearly all banks had access to sufficient liquidity but pressure on earnings may lead to some midsize bank deals.

☆ Former Silicon Valley Bank CEO: ‘I am truly sorry’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I never envisioned myself or SVB being in this situation,” former CEO Greg Becker writes, adding that he is “truly sorry for how this has impacted SVB’s employees, clients, and shareholders.”Becker is scheduled to testify at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday alongside two former executives of Signature Bank, which collapsed two days after SVB. But SVB’s collapse rumbled across global financial markets and sparked a selloff that has gripped US regional banks for more than two months. In its autopsy of the bank’s collapse, the Fed, which was SVB’s primary regulator, blamed both the central bank’s supervisory shortcomings and SVB management’s missteps. “You have nobody to blame for the failure at your bank but yourself and your fellow executives,” Warren wrote in a letter to Becker in March.

☆ David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital bets on pair of regional banking stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

David Einhorn joined other big investors in shares in several regional bank stocks last quarter in a bet that the financial institutions would survive the industry crisis that felled Silicon Valley and First Republic banks. That's the bank whose subsidiary, Flagstar, acquired Signature Bank assets after that bank was shuttered. Einhorn's additions come amid a broad selloff of regional bank stocks on concern more institutions could fail as depositors withdrew assets and the value of banks' bond holdings narrowed. "Big Short" investor Michael Burry also bought regional bank stocks last quarter. Outside of the bank stocks, Einhorn notably increased exposure to Concentrix , Gulfport Energy and Tenet Healthcare .

May 15 (Reuters) - Greg Becker, the former chief executive officer of Silicon Valley Bank, is set to appear before the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, two months after the collapse of his bank sparked panic among bank customers and investors, forcing the government to backstop deposits. California banking regulators moved quickly to shut down Silicon Valley Bank on March 10 after depositors withdrew $42 billion in 24 hours. Becker will testify before the Senate Banking Committee alongside Scott Shay and Eric Howell, the former chair and president, respectively, of Signature Bank. When his manager left to work for Silicon Valley Bank, Becker followed, he said on a 2021 Bloomberg podcast. Before becoming president and CEO of SVB Financial Group, Becker co-founded SVB Capital, the company's investment arm.

☆ ‘Big Short’ Michael Burry bought shares in a slew of regional banks last quarter amid banking crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Michael Burry, known for calling the subprime mortgage crisis, bought shares in a number of regional banks last quarter, betting the industry could weather the crisis, according to a new regulatory filing. The famed investor said in mid-March, after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank , that he expected the banking crisis to be over soon without severe damage. However, on May 1, First Republic was seized by regulators to become the biggest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. Burry bought $2 million worth of First Republic Bank shares last quarter, the filing, which reflects Scion's holdings as of March 31, showed. Burry was depicted in Michael Lewis' book "The Big Short" and the subsequent Oscar-winning movie of the same name.

☆ Stop Equating the Latest Bank Failures to the 2008 Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Josh Zumbrun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The FDIC seized First Republic Bank in early May and struck a deal to sell the bulk of its operations to JPMorgan Chase. WSJ’s Ben Eisen explains what led to the bank’s failure and what it means for customers, investors and the industry. Illustration: Preston JesseeThe failures this year of First Republic Bank , Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have been labeled the second-, third- and fourth-largest bank failures in U.S. history. By one measure, the three banks held more assets than all 25 banks that failed in 2008 during the global financial crisis. Wait a second: this wave of failures is as bad as the 2008 crisis?

☆ Iowa Looms Large for Ron DeSantis as He Looks to Slow Trump’s Momentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( John Mccormick | Alex Leary | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ron DeSantis at a fundraising picnic in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday. Ron DeSantis has visited four times as many cities as former President Donald Trump this year in the state that will host the first Republican presidential nomination contest early next year. It is an early indication of how important Iowa will be for Mr. DeSantis, who is expected to announce a presidential bid by next month. After losing ground to Mr. Trump in polls of the still-forming race, he needs to find a place to make a stand in a party where the former president remains dominant. Aides say they hope Iowa, where Mr. Trump finished second in the 2016 caucuses, could be that place.

☆ The Fed likely won't cut rates this year. Why that's good news for markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Although a pause in interest rate hikes appears likely, cuts may be farther off than some believe. Still, investors have remained hyper-alert for signs that the central bank could let up its brisk clip of interest rate increases. The central bank also opened the door to a pause, accelerating bets that the Fed will hold rates steady at its next meeting in June and cut rates as soon as July. The Fed is unlikely to cut rates in JulyExperts say that the Fed won’t cut rates anytime soon for two key reasons: Inflation remains sticky, and the economy has stayed strong. that’s not to say that a Fed rate cut this year is completely out of the cards, says Nicole Webb, senior vice president at Wealth Enhancement Group.

☆ Stocks week ahead: SVB and Signature Bank execs are set to testify next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs is holding three hearings this coming week centered around the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March. ET : Greg Becker, former chief executive, Silicon Valley Bank; Scott Shay, former chairman and co-founder, Signature Bank and Eric Howell, former president, Signature Bank. ET : Mark Bialek, inspector general, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Paul Kupiec, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute and more. Since then, the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have released reports detailing management missteps at SVB and Signature Bank, as well as federal regulators’ own mistakes in properly addressing red flags preceding the banks’ demises. A separate report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Friday shows that American households are becoming increasingly frugal.

☆ Why the US needs regional banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But those mega-banks lack the dexterity and regional specialization that small businesses crave, which is partly why Corporate America and policy makers alike are worried about the continued turmoil among regional banks. In just two months, a spark of panic has turned into a conflagration that has put America’s regional banks on notice. All of those banks share a status in common as a “regional” or “sector-specific” lender. By definition, regional banks are more specialized and focused. Without raising the cap, Hockett argues, we risk letting the Wall Street banks gobble up their smaller competition when those regional lenders fail.

☆ Opinion | We’re Asking the Wrong Questions About the Trump Town Hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Bill Sammon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a former executive of Fox News, I never expected to write this: CNN performed a valuable journalistic service this week by hosting a spirited town hall with Donald Trump. Like it or not, Mr. Trump is one of the two people who are most likely to win the presidency next year. We’ve heard a lot of naysayers deriding the recent town hall or even the idea of mainstream media interviews with Mr. Trump as “platforming” a monster. Are we better off as a society if, after shunting Mr. Trump into his own MAGA bubble, we wake up in November 2024 and find that he has been elected president? Is American democracy so fragile that we cannot metabolize the outlandish views of a presidential candidate?

☆ Investors may be crowding too much into defensive stocks amid market jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The S & P 500 posted its second straight weekly decline, falling 0.3% this week. Given this backdrop, investors have turned to several consumer staples — traditionally seen as defensive stocks — to shore up their portfolios. Mondelez , PepsiCo and Molson Coors — all staples — are the most overbought S & P 500 names through Friday's session. Shares of Mondelez have rallied more than 16% year to date, easily outperforming the S & P 500's 7.4% advance. Estee Lauder is the most oversold S & P 500 stock.

☆ A 31-year market vet who called the current bear market warns an impending credit crunch and recession will sink stocks by 45% as valuations remain higher than dot-com bubble levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Indicators like initial and continuing unemployment claims and loan demand show weakness. A recession paired with high valuations spells trouble for stocks, he said. For example, the number of initial unemployment claims is starting to jump at a recessionary pace, Wolfenbarger said. The four-week moving average of initial unemployment claims has risen 29% over the last eight months. Hussman FundsWhat others are sayingMany market onlookers have highlighted high stock market valuations in recent weeks.

☆ When Jamie Dimon speaks, Wall Street listens - and he just warned of catastrophe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But on Thursday, the man with the most gravitas on Wall Street shared his take on the potentially catastrophic scenario that's just weeks away. Everyone pays attention when Jamie Dimon speaks. In an interview with Bloomberg, Dimon said he's put together a "war room" at JPMorgan to plan for contingencies around a potential US default. While Dimon doesn't anticipate the country will actually see its first-ever default, he acknowledged the clock is running down. "Markets will get volatile, maybe the stock market will go down, the Treasury markets will have their own problems."

☆ Blackstone, Apollo were among about 20 bidders for SVB's assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Blackstone Inc (BX.N) and Apollo Global Management (APO.N) were among about 20 bidders for some assets of collapsed Silicon Valley Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said on Wednesday. PNC Financial Services (PNC.N), Valley Bank, Citizens Bank and BankUnited (BKU.N) were also among the bidders, the FDIC said in a summary document, adding that one or more bidders submitted more than one bid. The bids, which closed on March 10, were followed by First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA.O) purchasing all the loans and deposits of SVB later that month. That was since eclipsed by First Republic Bank which was seized by regulators in early May and sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N). The deal announced in March said First Citizens would acquire SVB's assets of $110 billion, deposits of $56 billion and loans of $72 billion.

☆ Credit Suisse's chief US economist says home prices will likely fall another 5-10% — and that gridlock between buyers and sellers will prevent both appreciation and a larger crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Credit Suisse's Chief US Economist Ray Farris says home prices will see a 'long recession.' Rather, the market is likely to go through a sort of holding period, where activity stays low and prices neither boom nor bust. You can spread the housing market over many more locales in the US and that's what's happening." And the way I think of that, as a base case, it means that even as mortgage rates come down, the housing market doesn't recover rapidly. Morgan Stanley's Ellen Zentner is one economist that — like Farris — doesn't expect a recession, and only sees prices falling another 4% this year.

☆ Trump Mocks Sexual Abuse Case, Repeats False 2020 Election Claims at CNN Town Hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Alex Leary | John Mccormick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump was found liable and ordered to pay $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. Photo: Justin Lane/EPA/Shutterstock/Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesDonald Trump, appearing in a live CNN town hall a day after a federal jury in New York found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, blasted the decision, repeated his false claims about the 2020 election and defended his behavior during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by his supporters. “They’re doing this for election interference,” Mr. Trump said, nodding to his claims of a vast conspiracy to stop his political career. “This woman, I don’t know her, I never met her,” he said of columnist E. Jean Carroll on Wednesday night from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, where the nation’s first Republican primary will be held early next year.

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