1) Despite more than two centuries in New York, JP Morgan is quietly shrinking its workforce there. The bank has been relocating several thousand New York based employees out of the area to reduce operating cost incase of an economic downturn. JP Morgan is considering moving the hub from New York to other lower cost hubs such as Plano, Texas or Columbus, Ohio or Wilmington, Delaware.
2) The world famous jeweler Tiffany has been offered $14.5 billion dollars from LVMH, which would be the largest take over by LVMH. The goal of the acquisition is to extend the reach of Louis Vuitton into the U.S. markets. Jewelry is one of the few segments of the luxury market where LVMH is not the leader, but having Tiffany would make it a stronger competitor under the ownership of LVMH.
3) The subprime auto giant Santander Consumer USA Holdings has defaulting loans at a faster rate since 2008. Many of these loans are packaged into bonds. The growing number of borrowers defaulting indicates that many of the borrowers may be getting loans based on fraudulent application information. Delinquent auto loans have reached their highest levels this year since 2011. The weakening performance in managed portfolio signals elevated risks and is an overall negative development.
4) Stock market closings for – 28 OCT 19:
Dow 27,090.72 up 132.66
Nasdaq 8,325.99 up 82.87
S&P 500 3,039.42 up 16.87
10 Year Yield: up at 1.85%
Oil: down at $55.74