Bank stocks ended the last trading month of the first quarter with mixed trades on Friday, as positive U.S. inflation data lifted the broad equities market after a rough start to 2023 for regional banks and other lenders.
Regional bank stocks have been hard-hit in recent weeks on liquidity concerns after the quick failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank during the second week of March. Also Read: House members focus on need for more oversight of capital and liquidity after failure of Silicon Valley BankAlso Read: Silicon Valley Bank depositors will get ‘all of their money,’ regulators say
The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund XLF rose 0.3 percent, but remained in the negative column for the first quarter with a loss of 6.7%.Among other bank stocks, Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. MCB is rallying 21.1% after the parent of New York-based Metropolitan Commercial Bank said it remains “well capitalized across all measures of regulatory capital” and that “liquidity remains strong” and that its exit from crypto currency deposits is almost complete.
The numbers suggest a sign of stabilization after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank earlier this month. Banks pivoted their borrowing to the Fed’s Bank Term Funding Program enacted on March 12, as Fed lending from this bucket increased by $10.7 billion to $64.4 billion as of March 29.Jefferies banking analyst Ken Usdin noted Friday that rotation into the Bank Term Funding Program is a sign of better pricing terms compared to the Fed’s discount window.
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