Topic: How To Invest

Pat, could I get your opinion on a recovery in the U.S. banking sector and investing in the BMO Equal Weight U.S. Banks Hedged to CAD Index ETF? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

The outlook for U.S. banks is mixed. For some, such as J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.—a buy recommendation of our Wall Street Stock Forecaster newsletter—the outlook is positive. J.P. Morgan, $50.48, symbol JPM on New York (Shares outstanding: 3.8 billion; Market cap: $193.2 billion; www.jpmorgan.com), earned a record $21.3 billion in 2012. That’s up 12.2% from $19.0 billion in 2011. Earnings per share rose 16.1%, to $5.20 from $4.48, on fewer shares outstanding. That beat the consensus estimate of $5.00 a share. More borrowers are repaying their loans on time. As a result, Morgan set aside $3.4 billion to cover bad loans in the latest quarter, down 55.3% from $7.6 billion a year earlier. This was the main reason for the higher earnings. Low interest rates continue to spur demand for mortgages and credit cards. However, low rates are also hurting the interest income Morgan earns on these loans and other securities. As a result, its overall revenue fell 0.2% in 2012,…