Citigroup's earnings results showed a bit of bifurcation in consumer spending, as higher credit scoring individuals continue to use their cards and lower FICO consumers are falling behind a bit amid evidence of budget tightening. The company's earnings release indicates that spending on Citi's cards was 3% higher than a year ago.
Earnings at two of the three large U.S. banks that traditionally launch the financial sector's quarterly earnings season exceeded investors' expectations Friday. But their income statements revealed the ongoing toll of higher interest rates and reflected concerns about a cooling economy.
U.S. stocks traded higher toward the end of trading, with the Dow Jones index surging past the 40,000 mark on Friday.
Citigroup asked a U.S. judge to dismiss a racial-discrimination lawsuit that claims the bank violated federal civil rights law by waiving ATM fees for customers of minority-owned banks.
Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) reported quarterly financials at the top end of Wall Street expectations, sparking an initial flurry before the stock dropped back in early deals. Second quarter revenue came in at $20.14 billion versus an analyst consensus forecast of $20.07 billion.
Citigroup's profit rose in the second quarter, boosted by a 60% jump in investment banking revenue and gains in its services division, sending the bank's shares up 2% before the bell.
Citigroup was just this week rebuked for failing to address its regulatory shortfalls, so analysts will be keen to ask CEO Jane Fraser about her long-running efforts to address the issue. Last year, Fraser announced plans to simplify the management structure and reduce costs at the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets.
Dow giant JPMorgan reports Friday, along with Wells Fargo and Citigroup. JPM stock and Citi are in buy zones.
The financial sector, and specifically the sector ETF Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund NYSE: XLF, has been consolidating for several months and is now approaching a significant breakout level.
JPM is scheduled to release their Q2 '24 financial results before the opening bell, Friday, July 12th, 2024, with Street consensus expecting $4.18 in earnings per share. JPM has a tough compare with Q2 '23 when revenue and EPS grew 34% and 54%, respectively. JPM also has tougher a compare vs. '23 in Q3 '24. Citigroup's constant allure over the past 5 years has been its discount to book value and tangible book value that it constantly traded at when the stock was hanging around the high $39s to low $50s.
Note: The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>>
Note: The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>>