Morgans AM - Tuesday, 20 May 2025

US equity markets advanced, reversing earlier losses as investors digested Moody Ratings’ decision after the close of trading last Friday (16 May) to downgrade the U.S.’s credit rating to Aa1 from Aaa - Dow rose +137-points or +0.32%, recovering from an earlier decline of -317-points. UnitedHealth Group Inc (up +8.21%) was the leading Dow component for a second straight session, continuing to rebound from steep losses last week that saw the stock fall over >20% and hit 5-year low last Thursday (15 May). The insurer disclosed after Friday's (16 May) close that new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Hemsley spent US$25M to buy 86,700 shares, to bring his direct ownership to nearly 680K shares. And Chief Financial Officer (CFO) John Rex invested US$5M to buy 17,175 shares, to bring his direct ownership to a ~204K shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co (down -1.00%) after the investment bank hosted its annual investor day, reiterating its key financial guidance. JPMorgan maintained its forecast for full-year net interest income (NII) at ~US$94.5B, including US$90B excluding markets, and projected expenses to hold steady at ~US$95B. The bank also reaffirmed its 17% return on tangible common equity (ROTCE) target. Meanwhile, CEO chief Jamie Dimon warned against complacency in the face of a slew of risks, citing everything from inflation and credit spreads to geopolitics.