Major U.S. equity indexes were down in the second quarter of 2012 but remained in positive territory for the year. The S&P 500 posted a 3.3% decline for the quarter despite a healthy 4.0% gain in June. The S&P 500 was up approximately 8.3% during the first six months of 2012. The banking sector still faces increased regulatory pressures and continued pressure on net interest margins in today’s low interest rate environment. The SNL Bank Index decreased by 9.7% during the second quarter after increasing by 28.8% in the first quarter of 2012, leaving it up by approximately 16.3% during the first half of 2012. Smaller banks did not fare much better, with the SNL Bank less than $500 million index generally declining by 7.8% during the second quarter of 2012 after increasing by 22.7% in the first quarter of 2012, leaving it up by about 13.2% for the year.
A one-year index of bank stock price performance data and market performance data by region. In this month’s report, the update includes data for publicly-traded bank stock prices.
More information regarding nationwide M&A activity can be found here.
