banking

Banking On The Banks: Is Morgan Stanley A Buy?

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According to Richard Bove, you’d be stupid to even think no.  While Bove is right, it’s lagged all but one of the big banks (WFC) with just a 30% gain YTD, that doesn’t have any effect on future results.  The catalyst here is the full merger with Citi’s remaining 49%.  Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is at present, a mash up of decades worth of mergers and acquisitions with very little though given toward how to seamlessly blend the smorgasbord of corporate entities into a well oiled machine (Trust me.  I worked there).  The computer systems are a mess (supposedly being … Read more

Pension Pulse: Hidden Burden of Ultra-Low Interest Rates?

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Guest Post By: Leo Kolivakis via Pension Pulse: Hidden Burden of Ultra-Low Interest Rates?.   Matthew Philips and Dakin Campbell of Bloomberg report, Banks Join Pensions in Squeeze as Federal Reserve’s Low Rates Erode Profit:   The Federal Reserve, which cut its target for the federal funds rate to a zero-to-0.25 percent range on Dec. 16, 2008, said last month that rates would remain “exceptionally low” at least through late 2014. While the unprecedented period of near-zero rates is meant to aid an ailing economy, it poses challenges for banks, insurers, pension funds, and savers. The hope is that by making mortgages and … Read more