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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.

☆ ‘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.

☆ Analysis: In Turkey, an election reckoning for the rise and fall of Erdogan's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Spicer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The May 14 vote, which lands during the Turkish Republic's centenary year, is Erdogan's biggest test yet. At the same time, a global reversal in market liquidity left Turkey and other emerging markets starved for funding. But the economic crisis was damaging. This trend accelerated in 2013, wiping out big gains made in 2006-2010 during Erdogan's first decade in charge. "If Erdogan wins the election and continues his economic policy it will come to a complete crash at one point.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Investors like jobs growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Broader markets were boosted by April's jobs report, which showed a higher-than-expected increase in jobs growth and an unemployment rate of 3.4% — a record low since 1969. Recall January's jobs report: There were 517,000 new jobs in December, almost three times the forecast. A strong jobs market increases the probability that the U.S. economy can tame inflation without contracting too severely. Subscribe here to get this report sent directly to your inbox each morning before markets open.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Investors liked April's jobs growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Apple and fintechs like Robinhood chase yield-hungry depositors as Fed rate hikes continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Last month, the iPhone maker launched its Apple Card savings account with a generous 4.15% APY in partnership with Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs . "It's really a trade-off for consumers, between safety or the appearance of safety, and yield," Laplanche told CNBC. Still, the emerging group of high-yield savings products are much more mainstream than what the crypto platforms were promoting. SoFi launched its high-yield savings account in February of last year. In its annual SEC filing, the company said that offering checking and high-yield savings accounts provided "more daily interactions with our members."

☆ Richardson storms to 100m win in Diamond League, Kerley wins 200m
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Like I said it before, I had to be kicked out from another 100 metres race, so I had to do my best no matter what. I am really happy with my race, third place is a good start and the time is decent," she said. "I feel really good, today was challenging for all athletes but I'm still satisfied with my result," Chopra said. The Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, who won silver in Tokyo, finished second again -- four centimetres shy of Chopra's mark. "It was an exciting race but a little bit windy, so I decided to not push too much and just focus on winning the race," Kipyegon said.

☆ Short sellers pocketed nearly $400 million in a single day from the regional bank stock sell-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Short sellers made $378.9 million in just one day betting against embattled regional banks, data show. Such traders have been selling borrowed bank stocks before buying them back at lower levels once their price falls. Traders profited as fresh turmoil embroiled regional banks this week following First Republic's failure and its takeover by JPMorgan. According to ORTEX, short sellers have made $816 million from the three bank stocks since the start of the year. Last month, ORTEX reported that short bets against Canada's Toronto-Dominion had swollen to $6.1 billion, having become the world's most shorted bank in early April.

☆ Banking 'cancer' may be spreading as otherwise healthy firms seem vulnerable and credit gets pulled from the economy, Mohamed El-Erian says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Banking sector "cancer" is starting to spread, Mohamed El-Erian said. Other regional lenders have shown signs of weakness after First Republic Bank failed this week. Widespread contagion would turn the banking situation into a true crisis, El-Erian warned. "The cancer within them is starting to spread, and we've got to keep an eye on that," he added. Credit conditions are also beginning to tighten, and the risks of further contraction go up as banking contagion spreads.

☆ FDIC mulls loss-sharing with nonbanks to boost bids on failed lenders, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) is mulling whether to offer loss-sharing agreements to private equity firms and other nonbanks that buy parts of failed lenders, after it was left holding a large portfolio of Signature Bank loans following its collapse, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. Since the FDIC does not regulate nonbanks, the firms cannot bid for an entire lender but such a move could entice them to buy loans and assets at a discount from collapsed institutions and help the FDIC get higher bids, the report said. The FDIC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Earlier this week, JPMorgan (JPM.N) entered into a loss-sharing agreement with the FDIC when it agreed to assume all of First Republic's deposits but share losses on certain portfolios including residential and commercial loans. Reporting by Juby Babu in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Western Alliance says no unusual deposit outflows after First Republic sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A screen displays the logo and trading info for Western Alliance Bancorporation on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidMay 3 (Reuters) - Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) said on Wednesday it had not experienced unusual deposit outflows following the sale of collapsed lender First Republic Bank to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), as the U.S. regional bank sought to reassure investors. Phoenix-based Western Alliance said its total deposits were $48.8 billion as of Tuesday, up from $48.2 billion as of Monday. The statement from Western Alliance came after reports that PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) was exploring strategic options including a sale or capital raising. The news sent shares of several regional lenders tumbling in after-market trading, led by a 52% plunge at PacWest and 23% decline at Western Alliance.

☆ Mohamed El-Erian slams Powell's suggestion that the bank turmoil is over – says it could be added to a list of Fed communications that eroded its credibility.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mohamed El-Erian raised doubts about Fed chair Jerome Powell's suggestion that the worst of the banking turmoil is over. PacWest is the latest bank to be hit by uncertainty, with its shares tumbling more than 50% in after-hours trading Wednesday. El-Erian said Powell's remarks may get added to a list of Fed communications that ended up eroding its credibility. It is the latest regional bank to be hit by the turmoil that started with Silicon Valley Bank's collapse in March. It's important the Fed notes that this doesn't mean the banking system as a whole is facing an existential crisis, he added.

☆ Big name investors like Bill Ackman are calling on the FDIC to insure all deposits, but that would only cost banks' customers more, former FDIC chair says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Big name investors have called for the FDIC to extend coverage to all bank deposits. But that would only cost banks' customers more, the former FDIC chair said. But extending deposit coverage won't be cheap, McWilliams said, as complicated and complex banks will incur a larger cost to insure deposits. It will be the bank, and inevitably that cost will be borne by its customers," she said. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman warned in a tweet on Wednesday that more lenders could soon fail if the FDIC didn't back all bank deposits.

☆ PacWest is the latest bank whose future is in question after reports it's weighing a sale sent shares tumbling over 50%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The news sent PacWest's share price down 52.5% to $3.05 apiece in after-hours trade on Wednesday. PacWest Bancorp is the latest regional bank to be hit by uncertainty following media reports it is considering a range of strategic options — including a sale. Wednesday's rout in PacWest shares marked its fifth straight day of stock price slide. The shares had plunged by 26% on Tuesday amid a broad sell-off in regional bank stocks, two days after First Republic Bank failed and was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. PacWest shares closed 2% lower at $6.42 apiece on Wednesday and are down 72% so far this year.

☆ Senator Elizabeth Warren seeks information from First Republic's former CEO, Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of the Park Avenue location of the First Republic Bank, in New York City, U.S., March 10, 2023. Senator Elizabeth Warren has written to Michael Roffler, the former chief executive of failed First Republic Bank asking for more information on his and other executives' pay, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Warren's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Roffler could not be reached for comment. Regulators seized troubled First Republic Bank and JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) agreed to buy majority of the lender's assets earlier this week, marking the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ PacWest, Western Alliance hit as US banking concerns widen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PacWest (PACW.O) slumped 37% in premarket trade, after having lost 29% since Monday. Reuters had reported on Wednesday that PacWest was exploring strategic options including a potential sale or capital raising, which the lender confirmed late in the day. Zion Bancorporation (ZION.O), KeyCorp (KEY.N), Valley National Bancorp (VLY.O), Comerica (CMA.N) and First Horizon (FHN.N) dropped between 2% and 6%. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE.P) shed 2.8%. PacWest Bancorp reported a loss of $1.1 billion attributed to shareholders for the first quarter of the year.

☆ 'Self-fulfilling prophecy is a risk' in regional bank crisis, Evercore ISI says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Regional bank stocks have fallen sharply this week after the failure and sale of First Republic, with the SPDR S & P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) tumbling 8.9% in just two days, on Monday and Tuesday. KRE 5D mountain Regional bank stocks have fallen after First Republic's failure. But even if the immediate concerns have been put to rest, now the falling bank stocks could create a new round of issues, according to Evercore ISI. ... regional banks' troubles are earnings issues for most, rather than liquidity issues," Pancari said. He added that "select regionals appear oversold," highlighting Fifth Third Bancorp as one of Evercore ISI's favorite mid-sized banks.

☆ Iran seizes second oil tanker in a week in Gulf, US Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, May 3 (Reuters) - Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019. In Iran's first response, Tehran's prosecutor announced the oil tanker was seized on a judicial order following a complaint by a plaintiff, the judiciary's Mizan news agency said. The incident comes after Iran on Thursday seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman called the Advantage Sweet. The Niovi oil tanker seized on Wednesday had been travelling from Dubai toward the UAE's Fujairah port when it was forced by IRGCN boats to change course towards Iranian territorial waters, the Navy said. Since 2019, there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.

☆ This is the banking crisis that doesn't end
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This is the banking crisis that doesn't end. So, about that banking crisis being over. The ink is barely dry on JPMorgan's agreement with regulators and it seems more regional banks are feeling the pain. Customers of regional banks are starting to ask questions about how safe their local lender is, the Financial Times reports. Here's more on how regional banks are still getting slammed despite JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon calling an end to the bank crisis.

☆ After First Republic's rescue, economists predict further pain with a 'new era' of higher inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Leah Millis | ReutersAfter the rescue of First Republic Bank by JPMorgan Chase over the weekend, leading economists predict a prolonged period of higher interest rates will expose further frailties in the banking sector, potentially compromising the capacity of central banks to rein in inflation. Almost 80% of chief economists surveyed said central banks face "a trade-off between managing inflation and maintaining financial sector stability," while a similar proportion expects central banks to struggle to reach their inflation targets. Yet several leading economists told a panel at the World Economic Forum Growth Summit in Geneva on Tuesday that higher inflation and greater financial instability are here to stay. That means inflation, the impulse of inflation will be higher." She added that it "defies logic" that as the industry tries to pivot rapidly to a higher interest rate environment, there won't be further casualties beyond SVB, Signature, Credit Suisse and First Republic.

☆ S&P cuts First Republic's credit rating, says default a 'virtual certainty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - S&P Global on Tuesday slashed First Republic Bank's (FRC.N) credit rating deeper into junk territory after California banking regulators seized the U.S. lender and sold its assets. S&P cut its rating to 'CC' from 'B+' and said it expects default to be a "virtual certainty". Since JPMorgan assumed the substantial majority of First Republic's assets, it is most likely that the lender would default on any other senior financial obligations given what would be an insufficient remaining asset base, S&P said. S&P also lowered credit ratings on First Republic's subordinated debt and preferred stock to 'D' from 'B-.' Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HSBC posted a pretax profit of $12.9 billion for the quarter ended March, versus $4.2 billion a year earlier. HSBC said the planned $10 billion sale, originally slated to be completed by the end of this year, will now only likely go through in the first quarter of 2024. HSBC reported deposits fell 0.6% to $1.6 trillion, excluding those it acquired by bailing out the UK arm of failed U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank and the reclassification of French retail deposits. Despite the surging profit, HSBC did not raise its key performance target of a return on tangible equity of at least 12% from this year onwards, which analysts were anticipating. Reporting by Selena Li ing Kong Kong and Lawrence White in London; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morning Bid: RBA shock hike starts huge week for central banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Asia markets correspondent Kevin Buckland. The Reserve Bank of Australia kicked off a string of major central bank meetings this week by surprising markets with a quarter-point rate hike, when most had been positioned for a pause. The debate among policy makers is whether to opt for another half-point hike or slow to a quarter-point pace. The Fed, meanwhile, is widely expected to hike rates by a final quarter point and then signal a pause. Money markets are still betting on a Fed rate cut before the end of the year.

May 1 (Reuters) - Regulators seized First Republic Bank (FRC.N) and sold its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on Monday, in a deal to resolve the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis and draw a line under a lingering banking turmoil. Shares of JPMorgan rose 2% on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell and the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) closed down 2.7%. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

The deal talks went down to the wire, according to two sources familiar with the situation. Four bidders, including JPMorgan, made it to the final rounds of the auction on Sunday night, one of the sources said. The final deal, announced around 3:30 a.m., cements Dimon's reputation as one of Wall Street's most powerful bankers. JPMorgan started a process internally, which looked at various options for First Republic, including an acquisition, according to a source familiar with the matter. The auction dragged out through the night as the FDIC's advisors examined each bid on its merits, a source familiar with the matter said.

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