What GE tells us about big bank earnings

On Tuesday, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo begin a week of big bank earnings reports. But we got a preview of the state of the big banks last week, when GE announced it would wind down and sell off most of the assets of the seventh-largest bank: GE Capital. 

“The primary lesson is: If you don’t have to be a bank, don’t be one,” says Fred Cannon, global director of research at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Cannon also says the fact that GE is selling most of the financial assets to smaller institutions is an indication of what sector will see faster growth in the years to come. 

But bank analyst Nancy Bush says there is one area where the so-called “universal banks” have an edge this quarter: trading on the volatility in the currency and commodities markets.