The Finimize Daily Brief
JPMorgan Revealed Worse-Than-Expected Results, And Alphabet Joined The $4 Trillion Club
14 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hey, I'm Lana with your daily brief for Wednesday, January 14th. Coming up, JP Morgan revealed worse than expected results, but its boss softened the blow with a decent economic outlook. And Alphabet joined the $4 trillion club, hot on the heels of its AI deal with Apple. We'll also check in with Carl to get his answers to your burning questions.
More on the way, but first, a word from Guy at Finimize HQ.
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JP Morgan's profit came in below expectations, with the bank blaming a $2.2 billion charge for potential loan losses tied to its purchase of the Apple credit card portfolio. Take that one-off hit out, though, and profit would have been slightly ahead of analysts' forecasts. The money made from investment banking fees came in a little light as deal completions were delayed.
Plus, the bank warned that the U.S. government's proposed cap on credit card interest rates could significantly impact its business. So even though JP Morgan's stock and bond trading businesses did slightly better than analysts expected, investors still sent the shares down more than 3%.
JP Morgan is the biggest bank in the U.S., making its head honcho one of the most influential financiers on the planet. So it might be reassuring to hear that he still sees the economy as resilient, even with signs of a weaker job market.
In his eyes, Americans are still spending, businesses are coping, the hit from tariffs hasn't been as bad as feared, and recent interest rate cuts should give the economy extra support. That matters. The U.S. stock market and JP Morgan's own share price are near record highs, so a reasonably firm backdrop and decent conditions for banks are needed to keep it up.
Analysts have done something unusual this quarter. Instead of trimming their fourth quarter forecasts like normal, they've actually raised them. But the upgrade isn't spread evenly across the economy. Only three of the 11 major sectors have seen estimates move higher — technology, financials, and energy.
It's no shock that tech is still out in front, with AI once again doing most of the heavy lifting for the economy and the stock market. Before we dive into the next story, it's time for our daily check-in with Carl. You've got questions. He's got your answers. Carl, what have you got for us?
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Chapter 2: What were JPMorgan's quarterly results and their implications?
I'll see you tomorrow.