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Morgan Stanley

  • Bank Bears Reawaken

    By Tony Daltorio - May 15, 2012 | Tickers: BAC, C, GS, JPM, MS

    Until late last week, the group that led the S&P 500 in gains for the year so far was the financial sector. This group of stocks was up nearly 15 percent for the year, nearly double the gain made by the broader market. But financial stocks fell sharply on Friday after JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) stated it had made “egregious mistakes” and incurred significant ($2 billion) mark-to-market losses in credit more »

  • JP Morgan's Gambling Problem- Time to Pay-up

    By Richard Birecki - May 15, 2012 | Tickers: BAC, C, JPM, MS, WFC

    Charlie Munger, of Berkshire Hathaway recently gave an interview on CNBC, and when asked about Michael Lewis, an author who chronicled the financial meltdown of 2008, who said more needed to be done to help heal the ills of Wall Street, and that the Volker rule was insufficient, Munger replied, "The majority of what was wrong has not been fixed. The Volker rule is not enough. If I was making more »

  • Big Banks Prized Deal With The Devil

    By Richard Birecki - May 14, 2012 | Tickers: BAC, C, JPM, MS, WFC

    In case you're not aware, JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) announced they had lost two Bills (billion) last week, sending the stock, and that of other banks spiraling downwards. JP Morgan and their CEO Jamie Dimon, who were the fiercest critics of the Volcker Rule which was designed to prevent commercial banks which citizens entrust with their hard earned money to use these deposits for trading and hedges, and with more »

  • Billionaire Ken Fisher's New Buys: 3 Potential Longs, 2 to Avoid

    By Ashish Sharma - May 14, 2012 | Tickers: BCS, GGB, HDB, MS, TTM

    Fisher Investments is an independent investment advisory firm founded by billionaire Ken Fisher in 1979. The firm manages ~$37bn in equity assets primarily adhering to a value oriented approach. I discussed Fisher Investments Top Holdings in a previous article. In addition to the top holdings, it is also interesting to have a look at the new positions Fisher Investments is building. The following is a list of top five new more »

  • As an Investor Citigroup would not Interest Me

    By John Mylant - May 10, 2012 | Tickers: C, MS, BA, WFC

    As I watch Citigroup (NYSE: C), I take a look at this company and watch it as it continues to fall from grace in the eyes of investors. With much better companies in the banking sector to invest in the long term, I do not believe Citigroup would be one of my choices right now. That does not mean the bank will not be a good long term investment in more »

  • What Fines Mean for Wells Fargo and Citigroup

    By Maxwell Fisher - May 7, 2012 | Tickers: C, MS, UBS, WFC

    When, oh when, will they ever learn? Banks of over $50 billion in assets are being watched. Banks of over $500 billion in assets, and there are only four of those in this country, are being watched like hawks. This week, two of the “big four” U.S banks, along with one huge international European based bank and another large domestic bank, were fined for selling inappropriate securities to their more »

  • Can Banks Ever Trade Above their Book Value?

    By Jihong Wei - April 23, 2012 | Tickers: BAC, GS, JPM, MS, WFC

    Have investors become too accustomed to bank stocks' trading at a discount to book value, and thus are less demanding on the stocks' performance? Among major U.S. banks, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) is the only stock that trades at a premium to its book value with a price-to-book ratio of about 1.35. The fourth largest bank by assets, Wells Fargo jumps to the top rank in terms of more »

  • Is Goldman Sachs a Strong Buy Right Now?

    By Maxwell Fisher - April 23, 2012 | Tickers: GS, MS

    Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) had its typically tumultuous quarter in the first quarter of 2012. If nothing else, there is never a dull moment here. Of course, in the first quarter, Goldman had on its plate general sluggishness in the investment banking business in which it operates, Greg Smith's scathing excoriation in the New York Times, and the pending impact of the Volcker Rule. Through it all, Goldman Sachs more »

  • Banks Firing on All Cylinders

    By Tim Brugger - April 19, 2012 | Tickers: BAC, C, JPM, MS, WFC

    Talk about a roll. What a week for banks and financial services companies. Morgan Stanley’s (NYSE: MS) recently announced better than expected earnings for Q1 is yet one more feather in the industry’s cap. The good news comes on the heels of Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) kicking things off earlier in the week – something they always like to do – in stellar fashion. Citigroup (NYSE: C) followed that up more »

  • How Will New Mortgage Regulations Impact JP Morgan?

    By Helen Hagan - April 13, 2012 | Tickers: GS, JPM, MS, WFC

    With the impending regulations for mortgage lending, the financial market will see some changes to the way it does business as early as January of 2013. The regulations are not altogether a bad thing considering all of the fines major financials have faced due to poorly thought out lending practices. The lending was a boon to such companies in the short to medium term, but due to the lawsuits and more »

  • Goldman Sachs: A Viable Option in a Tough Banking Market?

    By Helen Hagan - April 11, 2012 | Tickers: BAC, GS, MS

    Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) must be prime rib for the Occupy Wall Street crowd,  self-proclaimed representatives of the 99%, as Goldman and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) are the most notable morsels yet Heard on the Street after The Thundering Herd was corralled by  the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America (NYSE: BAC).  Indeed, according to some, it was Merrill’s wanting to be more like Goldman, so abandoning more »

  • Is JP Morgan A Good Pick For 2012?

    By Maxwell Fisher - April 2, 2012 | Tickers: C, JPM, MS, RF, USB

    JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) is probably the most respected large bank in the country. It, along with Citigroup (NYSE: C) and Bank of America hold nearly 40% of the nation's banking assets, but unlike the other two, JP Morgan has consistently posted profits in recent years. Also, alone among the “big three”, JP Morgan is ranked among the fifty safest banks in the country.

    To no one's more »

  • Morgan Stanley Vengeance Move Against Former Employee - Actions Speak Louder Than Words

    By George Gutowski - March 23, 2012 | Tickers: MS

    Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) recently won a court case against a former employee and has judgement for about $10 million. Maybe paper judgement but the judge has ruled in favor of Morgan Stanley. Whats this all about? $10 million at Morgan Stanley is a rounding error. Well usually it is but in this specific case Morgan Stanley is building corporate culture and drawing lines in the sand.

    It seems that more »

  • The Vampire Squid Lives Fast and Dies Young

    By Richard Birecki - March 19, 2012 | Tickers: C, GS, JPM, MS, WFC

    Long thought to be a giant blood-sucking machine, the mask has come off the vampire squid. 

    Greg Smith resigned with a scathing editorial after 12 years at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), revealing clients were referred to as "muppets" and treated with disdain, all the while Goldman fattened their pockets by pawning off assets to Kermit the Frog, which their analysts believed had poor outlooks. 

    If you hold stock in Goldman more »

  • Goldman's Other Issues

    By Eric Volkman - March 18, 2012 | Tickers: SCHW, GS, JPM, MS

    At first glance, it seems that the spin cycle is cranking on high. Following the infamous New York Times op-ed piece by disgruntled ex- Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) employee Greg Smith, the High and Mighty are stepping up to defend the firm. No less a personage than New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed support for the investment bank, making a personal visit to its Manhattan headquarters the day the more »

  • Online Brokers Beat the Winter Blahs

    By Eric Volkman - March 15, 2012 | Tickers: SCHW, ETFC, GS, MS, AMTD

    February was an ugly month for most of America. The country spent much of its free time digging its way out of piles of snow and hoping the numerous blizzards would pass, leaving the way for a green spring. But the fertile season came early for wirehouses and investment banks, as they recorded some of their best monthly metrics in quite some time.

    The Big Daddy of volume brokerages, Charles more »

  • Goldman Sachs: A Long-Term Play?

    By Bobby Fisher - March 15, 2012 | Tickers: GS, JPM, MS

    Large investment banks like Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) became bank holding companies in 2008 in order to qualify for bank bailout funds. But their underlying businesses bear little resemblance to traditional commercial banking. These companies are world leaders in trading and underwriting. They have emerged strongly from the depths of the recession, and just today have received passing grades under the Federal Reserve's Stress more »

  • A Goldman Snafu?

    By Michael Todd Price - March 14, 2012 | Tickers: GS, MS

    The biggest news on the Street today is the letter from a now-former Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) vice president announcing in the New York Times why he was quitting. Goldman is down more than three percent on the news and it seems like it may be a good time to look at the stock.

    The Story

    The letter was written by Greg Smith, who calls himself an executive director (though more »

  • Citigroup Gets Over it and Moves On

    By Eric Volkman - March 4, 2012 | Tickers: C, GS, JPM, MS

    Times change, and so do corporate boards. One notable departure from Citigroup’s (NYSE: C) boardroom in recent days is that of Richard Parsons, a longtime director who in recent times has served as chairman. He won’t stand for re-election when his term comes up for renewal at Citi’s upcoming annual shareholder meeting this April.

    His departure marks the end of an era. Parsons was a veteran financier more »

  • Two Investment Banks, One Winner

    By Chad Henage - February 24, 2012 | Tickers: GS, MS

    When it comes to investment banking there are 2 pure plays in the industry, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) , and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). It seems that the economy is beginning to recover, and with that recovery usually we would see more IPO activity, and potential mergers. Both IPOs and mergers are where investment bankers make some real money, so I'm looking for who will perform the best. We'll compare Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, to see which one of these giants could be the better investment. 

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