Banking

The Walt Disney Company’s (DIS) theme parks and resorts business is doing extremely well in the United States.

After seeing three straight years of losses, gold (GLD) performed extremely well at the beginning of 2016.

The US Department of the Treasury conducted the weekly auction of four-week Treasury bills (or T-bills) on April 26.

China’s love for gold is world famous, and demand had touched its peak in 2013 when gold experienced a steep price fall.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury auctioned 13-week T-bills worth $28 billion on April 11. The offer amount of these bills was the same as the previous auction.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury held the weekly 26-week Treasury bill auction on February 16, 2016. T-bills totaling $30 billion were on offer.

The American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund (AEPGX) has been in existence since April 1984.

Originally incorporated in 1892, General Electric is one of the largest and most diversified industrials and financial services corporations in the world.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established to protect consumers’ interests by implementing federal consumer financial laws.

Disney expects the equity loss from its investment in Hulu to accelerate since Hulu is increasing its investment in acquiring original content from media companies and producing original programming.

High-yield bonds, also known as Junk bonds, have an iffy repayment ability, even if they are at the higher end of the junk rating scale.

Investment-grade bond yields rose 8 basis points month-over-month and ended at 3.5% on November 30 due to high expectations of an interest rate hike in the December policy meeting.

PLVVX holds fixed income securities in both long and short positions. The fund also holds derivative forward, future, and swap agreements on government securities, indexes, and currencies.

The US Dollar Index measures the strength of the US dollar against other major currencies. It fell by 0.58% on December 18, 2015. It was on a correction mode.

Analysts who favor the Dodd-Frank Act believe it will protect the investing community and consumers. Critics believe it will hamper economic growth and hurt competitiveness.

During the period between September 2008 and March 2009, US stock markets plunged, and the financial sector fell 60% in value.

The Dodd-Frank Act is a financial reform legislation passed in an attempt to prevent events similar to the 2009 financial crisis from occurring again.

Since the financial crisis, the Fed has enforced regulations for the capital strength and liquidity of 16 systematically important financial institutions.

Preferred stocks are less volatile compared to common equities. This is mainly because a larger portion of the returns comes from dividends, which tend to be stable.

Deutsche Bank operates under five segments. Corporate Banking & Securities contributes 50% to Deutsche Bank’s revenues.

On average, European banks have higher leverage than US banks. An excess buildup of leverage increases a bank’s exposure to the risk of bankruptcy.

Goldman Sachs’ major services in the division include offerings related to interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities.

Morgan Stanley divides its non-interest expenses into compensation and non-compensation. It’s compensation expenses (and benefits) are ~80% of this class.

The G10 currencies were impacted positively as the US dollar index dropped in value in the two weeks ending August 21, 2015.

Discover Financial Services (DFS) has two operating segments: Direct Banking and Payment Services. Payment Services is comparatively small.

Visa’s open-loop payments network connects and manages the exchange of information between issuers and acquirers.

The ideal loan-to-deposit ratio for a bank depends on the bank’s business model. Some banks that focus on core banking, like U.S. Bancorp (USB), have high loan-to-deposit ratios.

Refinancing activity affects prepayment speeds. Prepayment speeds occur because homeowners are allowed to pay off their mortgages early and without penalty.

Certain industries typically outperform at various phases of business cycles. This provides important clues to investors and helps them manage their portfolios.

Banks like US Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC) have an advantage over J.P. Morgan in terms of debt rating. Both banks secure higher ratings.

The number of J.P. Morgan active mobile customers has more than tripled since 2010. As a result, the bank is adapting its digital capabilities.

Consumer and Community Banking is the biggest of J.P. Morgan’s four segments. Corporate and Investment Banking follows, with 34% of revenues.

In this series, you’ll learn what value J.P. Morgan holds for its shareholders, about its various businesses, and how it compares with other big banks.

SunTrust Bank’s net interest income in 2014 remained stable compared to 2013 as strong loan growth offset the decline in net interest margin.

The industrywide loan-to-deposit ratio has declined over the last few years, largely due to the increase in non-interest-bearing bank deposits.

The majority of investors believe bonds are safer than stocks. The main reason is that bonds pay regular interest.

The quantitative easing policy adopted by the Federal Reserve at the end of 2008 to boost economic growth included a drastic reduction in interest rates.

Marketing initiatives at Home Depot include Pro Xtra. This program exclusively targets professional customers.

BB&T Corporation (BBT) is a financial holding company. It conducts its operations primarily through its bank subsidiary—Branch Bank.

Investment-grade bonds are both U.S. Treasuries issued by the U.S. Treasury Department and corporate bonds issued by high-quality corporate borrowers.