JPMorgan Profits Jump In Q2 On Higher Interest Rates, Visa Shares
By Ken Sweet
NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase’s profits jumped sharply in the second quarter as the bank cashed in billions of dollars of its holdings in Visa Inc. But the bank’s results were also helped by higher interest rates, as well as consumers who seemed to still want to spend, despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
The nation’s biggest bank by assets on Friday posted a profit of $18.15 billion, up 25% from a year earlier. On a per share basis, JPMorgan earned $6.12 per share, which beat analysts’ estimates.
A significant part of JPMorgan’s results was a $7.9 billion gain on its stake in Visa. The bank converted its ownership in the payment processing giant into common stock in the second quarter. The bank also donated $1 billion of Visa shares to JPMorgan’s philanthropic organization.
Without the gain, profit fell compared with the year-ago quarter due to higher expenses. The bank set aside $3.1 billion to cover potentially bad loans, up sharply from a year earlier, as the bank acknowledged that delinquencies were climbing among some Americans. On a call with reporters, executives said they remain unconcerned about the rising delinquencies, adding that the U.S. consumer is doing just fine.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon repeated his warnings about heightened geopolitical risks and inflation in his statement to investors. Dimon, in several interviews, has said he believes that Americans and the bank should be preparing for inflation to remain higher than normal for longer than people are expecting.
“There has been some progress bringing inflation down, but there are still multiple inflationary forces in front of us: large fiscal deficits, infrastructure needs, restructuring of trade and remilitarization of the world,” he said.
The latest government reading on consumer prices Thursday showed that price pressures are easing but remain above levels preferred by the Federal Reserve. Still, Wall Street is betting that the Fed has made enough progress brining inflation down that it will cut interest rates at its policy meeting in September.
Two other banks are reporting their results Friday: Wells Fargo and Citigroup.
Wells Fargo earned $4.91 billion in the second quarter, or $1.33 per share, which beat Wall Street targets and last year’s $1.25 per share profit. Revenue of $20.7 billion also beat analyst forecasts and last year’s $20.5 billion.
Wells said growth in fee-based revenue helped to offset declines in net interest income — the difference between what it earned on loans and what it paid out to depositors — which fell 9% to $11.9 billion. That figure was below Wall Street expectations and the bank's shares fell more than 5% in premarket trading.
The San Francisco bank said average loans fell again, to $917 million from $946 million a year ago, as elevated interest rates kept many borrowers on the sidelines.
It was Wells Fargo’s second earnings report since the Biden administration eased some of the restrictions on the bank after a series of scandals.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
With a merger this big, creators, studios, and theaters all face uncertain futures. Here’s what experts are worried about and what good could come from it.
With disengagement rising and hybrid work shifting, 'Everybody Matters' author Bob Chapman explains why treating people well could define the future of work.
We sat down with Ali Furman, U.S. Consumer Markets Industry Leader at consulting firm PwC to ask what trends she garnered from the initial data this year.
