Money doesn't grow on trees... It grows on bank branches. Last week's big bank earnings validated both Wall Street's and Main street's economic booms. The biggest winner was JPMorgan Chase, which had the most profitable year of any American bank ever – $36B in profits was 12% growth from 2018. JPM is already the bank that 1/2 of Americans do business with, including the Chasers racking up travel/dining expenses on Sapphire Reserve cards.
Delta's updated resume... Beat quarterly profit expectations. Biggest strength? Not having any Boeing 737 Max planes, which will be grounded at least 15 months (through June) for rivals United, Southwest, and American. Besides Delta's incredibly lucky jet selection, strong travel demand and cheap(er) fuel are helping Delta's profits fly. And it saw success in steering travelers to pricier not-quite-first-class fares (Comfort+, Premium, Business).