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JPM’s Dimon says geopolitical risks ‘treacherous and getting worse’

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JPMorgan Chase CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon speaks during the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing on Wall Street firms, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 6, 2023.

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon sees risks climbing around the world amid widening conflicts in the Middle East and with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showing no signs of abating.

“We have been closely monitoring the geopolitical situation for some time, and recent events show that conditions are treacherous and getting worse,” Dimon said Friday in the bank’s third-quarter earnings release.

“There is significant human suffering, and the outcome of these situations could have far-reaching effects on both short-term economic outcomes and more importantly on the course of history,” he said.

The international order in place since the end of World War II is unraveling in light of conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, rising U.S.-China tensions and the risk of “nuclear blackmail” from Iran, North Korea and Russia, Dimon said last month during a fireside chat held at Georgetown University.

“It’s ratcheting up, folks, and it takes really strong American leadership and Western world leaders to do something about that,” Dimon said at the fireside chat. “That’s my number one concern, and it dwarves any I’ve had since I’ve been working.”

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas recently hit the one-year mark since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked war, and there have been few signs of it slowing down. Tens of thousands of people have been killed as the conflict has broadened into fighting on multiple fronts, including with Hezbollah and Iran.

At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in Beirut, Lebanon, from Israeli airstrikes on Thursday. Iran launched more than 180 missiles against Israel on Oct. 1, and worries have risen that an Israeli retaliation could target Iranian oil facilities.

Meanwhile, The Russian government approved a draft budget last week that boosted defense spending by 25% from 2024 levels, a sign that Russia is determined to continue its invasion of Ukraine, analysts say.

Dimon also said Friday that he remained wary about the future of the economy, despite signs that the Federal Reserve has engineered a soft landing.

“While inflation is slowing and the U.S. economy remains resilient, several critical issues remain, including large fiscal deficits, infrastructure needs, restructuring of trade and remilitarization of the world,” Dimon said. “While we hope for the best, these events and the prevailing uncertainty demonstrate why we must be prepared for any environment.” 

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Stocks making the biggest moves midday: AAL, AVGO, JPM

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Biggest banks planning to sue the Federal Reserve over annual stress tests

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A general view of the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, United States.

Samuel Corum | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The biggest banks are planning to sue the Federal Reserve over the annual bank stress tests, according to a person familiar with the matter. A lawsuit is expected this week and could come as soon as Tuesday morning, the person said.

The Fed’s stress test is an annual ritual that forces banks to maintain adequate cushions for bad loans and dictates the size of share repurchases and dividends.

After the market close on Monday, the Federal Reserve announced in a statement that it is looking to make changes to the bank stress tests and will be seeking public comment on what it calls “significant changes to improve the transparency of its bank stress tests and to reduce the volatility of resulting capital buffer requirements.”

The Fed said it made the determination to change the tests because of “the evolving legal landscape,” pointing to changes in administrative laws in recent years. It didn’t outline any specific changes to the framework of the annual stress tests.

While the big banks will likely view the changes as a win, it may be too little too late.

Also, the changes may not go far enough to satisfy the banks’ concerns about onerous capital requirements. “These proposed changes are not designed to materially affect overall capital requirements, according to the Fed.

The CEO of BPI (Bank Policy Institute), Greg Baer, which represents big banks like JPMorgan, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, welcomed the Fed announcement, saying in a statement “The Board’s announcement today is a first step towards transparency and accountability.”

However, Baer also hinted at further action: “We are reviewing it closely and considering additional options to ensure timely reforms that are both good law and good policy.”

Groups like the BPI and the American Bankers Association have raised concerns about the stress test process in the past, claiming that it is opaque, and has resulted in higher capital rules that hurt bank lending and economic growth.

In July, the groups accused the Fed of being in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, because it didn’t seek public comment on its stress scenarios and kept supervisory models secret.

CNBC’s Hugh Son contributed to this report.

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Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Nordstrom, Honda, MicroStrategy, Broadcom and more

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These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.

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