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The Institutional Risk Analyst
© 2003-2025 | Whalen Global Advisors LLC All Rights Reserved in All Media | ISSN 2692-1812
Banks | Markets | Finance


How Will Consumer Lenders Fare in a Serious Recession?
Many voices in the media and elsewhere have been predicting an economic slump since 2023. Didn’t happen, but 2025 is very different.
R. Christopher Whalen
3 days ago11 min read
285 views


Q: Which Top Seven Bank is Most Vulnerable in a Recession?
If we consider the larger picture, we already have years of pent-up credit expenses awaiting realization, but add to the sauce Donald Trump.
R. Christopher Whalen
Mar 2314 min read
506 views

Taxing Crypto? And Just Where Is That Consumer Recession?
Yes, net loss rates in percentage terms post default are back up to 2010 levels, but the dollar volume of net charge-offs remains very low.
R. Christopher Whalen
Jan 58 min read
412 views


WGA Bank Top 10 Index | Time to Short Financials?
When SCHW surpassed U.S. Bancorp in size in 2021, you knew that SCHW’s leadership had gotten lost.Â
R. Christopher Whalen
Dec 9, 20249 min read
478 views

Financials: Post-Trump Victory Notes
The changes that are going to occur in Washington over the next four years will be dramatically different than during Trump I.
R. Christopher Whalen
Nov 6, 20245 min read
1,105 views

Fed Duration Trap Threatens Banks, SOMA
It’s time for the Fed to get smart on duration risk before circumstances create another money market crisis.Â
R. Christopher Whalen
Nov 1, 20248 min read
1,094 views

Recession? Consumer Lenders: AX, AXP, ALLY, Barclays, COF, SOFI, SYF
Axos continues to rebound after the bear raid by Hindenburg Research. AX ranked 18th in the WGA Bank Top Index in Q3 2024 vs 98th for SOFI
R. Christopher Whalen
Sep 2, 202412 min read
722 views

Update: CapitalOne Financial & PennyMac Financial Services
Of note, PFSI has been growing share in wholesale, a direct challenge to UWMC
R. Christopher Whalen
Jul 25, 20245 min read
341 views


Earnings Setup: Consumer Lenders | ALLY AXP AX BCS COF SOFI SYF
The first comment to make is that consumer defaults are rising across the board. The only question we need to consider is the rate of change
R. Christopher Whalen
Jul 11, 20245 min read
540 views


Goldman Sachs Fails Fed Stress Test
Notice that the Fed stress test is silent on trillions of dollars in mark-to-market losses facing US banks from COVID-era securities
R. Christopher Whalen
Jul 7, 202410 min read
3,182 views

GSE Release? Really? Update: Ally Financial
You take the GSEs out of conservatorship, the big banks led by JPMorgan and U.S. Bancorp will own the conventional loan market
R. Christopher Whalen
Apr 11, 202410 min read
2,029 views

WGA Releases Top 50 Bank Index | What's in Your ETF?
Not all banks or companies are the same and not all follow the herd.
R. Christopher Whalen
Feb 25, 20245 min read
1,145 views

Does CapitalOne + Discover Financial = Shareholder Value?
Elizabeth Warren and progressives in Congress should support COF's purchase of Discover as a way to compete with monopoly JPMorgan
R. Christopher Whalen
Feb 21, 20244 min read
489 views


Good, Bad & Ugly: AXP, SOFI & BAC
AXP is a premium stock that is best acquired when people think, incorrectly, that the world is ending.
R. Christopher Whalen
Jan 30, 20246 min read
863 views


EVs Wane, Fintech Sputters & COF Dumps Commercial Mortgages
Now let’s take a look at how some members of the banking and fintech sector are doing in the first month of 2024.
R. Christopher Whalen
Jan 29, 20248 min read
811 views


Update: Citigroup Fights for Credibility
Citigroup picked up almost 10 points of book value since the end of Q3 2023.
R. Christopher Whalen
Dec 21, 20237 min read
616 views

Stocks, Interest Rates and Reverse RPs
Simply stated, with T-bills trading significantly above the yield on RRPs, there is no reason for MMFs to leave cash at the Fed
R. Christopher Whalen
Dec 8, 20234 min read
707 views

Update: Banks & Fintechs
With inflation fears moderating, look for Buy Side managers to buy bank stocks – even if earnings remain constrained...
R. Christopher Whalen
Jun 14, 20235 min read
784 views


Profile: Synchrony Financial
What can SYF tell us about the bleeding edge of unsecured consumer credit?
R. Christopher Whalen
Jun 9, 20236 min read
667 views


Banks, Interest Rates & Fed Chairs
Imagine how President Joe Biden will react if Chair Powell needs to announce formal limits on access to US bank deposits.
R. Christopher Whalen
May 4, 20234 min read
2,417 views
Christopher Whalen
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