Big US banks start earnings reports July 14 with high expectations

In short: Big U.S. banks report earnings starting Tuesday, July 14, 2026, and investors expect strong results after a big run in bank stocks.

What's going on

Earnings season starts in earnest this week, and the largest U.S. banks are first in line. The early group includes JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley.

The main theme is that expectations are already high. Bank shares have risen, and forecasts for profits have been upbeat, which means companies need to deliver strong numbers to satisfy investors. HSBC analyst Saul Martinez said investors are still optimistic, but not as excited as they were in January.

Forecasts still point to growth. Bloomberg data cited by Yahoo Finance expects the combined profits of the six major banks to rise about 5% from a year earlier. Analysts say two areas may matter most, trading and investment banking. Trading can benefit when markets swing more than usual (like more waves on the ocean), and investment banking can pick up when more companies do deals like mergers and stock offerings.

Investors are also watching the basics of banking. That includes lending, how healthy borrowers look, and “credit quality,” which is a simple measure of whether people and businesses are paying back what they owe. Another focus is deposits and funding costs, since banks may have to pay more to keep customer money.

What to watch

Market volatility linked to the Middle East has helped trading, but it can also make companies hesitate on big deals. Investors will likely watch bank updates on consumer health, loan losses, and whether profit goals still hold if the economy turns less certain.

Source: NYTimes