Wells Fargo Approaches End of Asset Cap as OCC Lifts 2015 Consent Order
A team of bankers in suits, discussing the success of the company's banking products.
Significant regulatory progress has been made under CEO Charles Scharf, as evidenced by the closing of the seventh regulatory enforcement order in 2025 and the thirteenth since 2019. The Federal Reserve's 2018 consent order, which is linked to changes in governance and controls, is the last obstacle.
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) has experienced regulatory attention since its 2016 fake accounts scandal, which resulted in billions of dollars in fines and an unprecedented asset cap imposed by the Federal Reserve in 2018.
This week witnessed the lifting of the OCC order about its former financial subsidiaries.
Scharf, who took office in 2019, has implemented measures that experts such as Stephen Biggar of Argus and Chris Marinac of Janney Montgomery Scott believe are significant. After limitations are lifted, the bank plans to expand its market operations and wholesale deposit base.
While we acknowledge the potential of WFC to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than WFC and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this
READ NEXT: and .
Disclosure. None.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wells Fargo Upgrades Varonis (VRNS) to Overweight, Citing Rising Demand for AI-Powered Data Protection
Varonis Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNS) is one of the Varonis Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNS) is one of the best midcap AI stocks to buy right now. On August 11, 2025, Wells Fargo upgraded Varonis from Equal Weight to Overweight and raised its price target from $51 to $70, citing accelerating demand for AI-native data protection solutions. The firm highlighted Varonis' positioning within the Agentic AI trend, noting that the company is increasingly benefiting from enterprise adoption of automated data security tools, including its growing managed detection and response (MDR) offering. Copyright: rawpixel / 123RF Stock Photo Wells Fargo expects revenue to climb to $806 million in 2026 and reach $968 million by 2027, representing a 26 percent and 20 percent year-over-year increase, respectively. The firm also raised its operating margin forecast for fiscal 2027 to at least 10 percent, well above the previous consensus of around 7.4 percent. Analysts noted that new go-to-market initiatives and continued expansion of Varonis' Microsoft partnership could serve as additional catalysts for annual recurring revenue growth over the next two years. Varonis Systems is a cybersecurity software company headquartered in Miami, Florida. It specializes in protecting enterprise data through automated access controls, threat detection, and data classification tools. While we acknowledge the potential of VRNS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Volatility Vanishes Across Markets as Traders Brace for Powell's Jackson Hole Speech
A pervasive calm has taken hold of asset classes as traders look forward to Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell's speech at the annual Jackson Hole Symposium, scheduled for Aug. 21-23. Bitcoin's (BTC) 30-day implied volatility, as measured by Volmex's BVIV and Deribit's DVOL index, has declined sharply in recent months, hovering near two-year lows of around 36% last week, according to TradingView data. Similarly, the CME Gold Volatility Index (GVZ), which estimates the expected 30-day volatility of returns for the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD), has more than halved over the past four months, dropping to 15.22%—its lowest level since January. The MOVE index, which tracks the 30-day implied volatility of Treasury notes, has also declined in recent months, reaching a 3.5-year low of 76%. Meanwhile, the VIX, widely regarded as Wall Street's "fear gauge," fell below 14% last week, down substantially from its early April highs near 45%. A similar vol compression is seen in FX majors such as the EUR/USD. Rates are 'still high' The pronounced slide in volatility across major assets comes as central banks, particularly the Fed, are expected to deliver rate cuts from restrictive territory, rather than amid a crisis. "Most major economies are not easing from ultra-low or emergency levels like we saw after the financial crisis or during COVID. They're cutting from restrictive territory, meaning rates are still high enough to slow growth, and in many cases, real rates, adjusted for inflation, are still positive. That's a big shift from the last easing cycles, and it changes how the next phase plays out," pseudonymous observer Endgame Macro noted on X, explaining the bull run in all assets, including cryptocurrencies and stock markets. According to the CME's FedWatch tool, the Fed is expected to cut rates by 25 basis points in September, resuming the easing cycle after an eight-month pause. Investment banking giant JPMorgan expects the benchmark borrowing cost to drop to 3.25%-3.5% by the end of the first quarter of 2026, a 100-basis-point decrease from the current 4.25%. Per some observers, Powell could lay the groundwork for fresh easing during this Jackson Hole speech. "The path to rate cuts may be uneven, as we have seen over the last two years, where markets have been eager for rate cuts and sometimes disappointed that the Fed has not delivered them. But we believe the direction of travel for rates is likely to remain lower," Angelo Kourkafas, a senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones, said in a blog post on Friday. "With inflation treading water and labour-market strains becoming more pronounced, the balance of risks may soon tip toward action. Chair Powell's upcoming remarks at Jackson Hole could validate the now-high expectations that, after a seven-month pause, rate cuts will resume in September," Jones added. In other words, the decline in volatility across asset classes likely reflects expectations for easy monetary policy and economic stability. Markets too complacent? However, contrarians may view it as a sign that markets are too complacent, as President Donald Trump's trade tariffs threaten to weigh on economic growth, and the latest data points to sticky inflation. Just take a look at the price levels for most assets, including BTC and gold: They are all at record highs. Prosper Trading Academy's Scott Bauer argued last week during an interview with Schwab Network that volatility is too low following the recent round of economic data, with more uncertainty on the horizon. The argument for market complacency gains credence when viewed against the backdrop of bond markets, where corporate bond spreads hit their lowest since 2007. That prompted analysts at Goldman Sachs to warn clients against complacency and take hedges. 'There are enough sources of downside risks to warrant keeping some hedges on in portfolios,' Goldman strategists led by Lotfi Karoui wrote in a note dated July 31, according to Bloomberg. 'Growth could surprise further to the downside,' dis-inflationary pressures could fade or renewed concerns over Fed independence may fuel a sharp selloff in long-dated yields. In any case, volatility is mean-reverting, meaning periods of low volatility typically set the stage for a return to more turbulent conditions.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Qualys (QLYS) Wins Two Pwnie Awards at DEF CON for Groundbreaking OpenSSH Vulnerability Research
Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) is one of the Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) is one of the best midcap AI stocks to buy right now. On August 12, 2025, Qualys announced that its Threat Research Unit (TRU) received two Pwnie Awards at the DEF CON cybersecurity conference for its groundbreaking work uncovering critical OpenSSH vulnerabilities. The awards, 'Epic Achievement' and 'Best Remote Code Execution (RCE)', recognized Qualys for identifying CVE-2024-6387, the first pre-authentication RCE in OpenSSH in nearly two decades, and CVE-2025-26465, a man-in-the-middle attack affecting FreeBSD clients. The wins cement Qualys' status as a major player in vulnerability research. welcomia/ Alongside its ongoing threat research, Qualys expanded coverage within its Enterprise TruRisk Platform on August 12, 2025, issuing new vulnerability checks tied to Microsoft's latest Patch Tuesday update. While the company did not publish a formal press release, its research portal listed 98 vulnerabilities across 12 Microsoft security bulletins, with immediate support deployed for customer environments. The update underscores Qualys' operational emphasis on rapid detection and remediation, reinforcing its reputation for delivering same-day protections aligned with major vendor disclosures. Qualys is a U.S.-based provider of cloud-native IT, security, and compliance solutions. Its platform is used by global enterprises to manage vulnerabilities, ensure policy compliance, protect against threats, and inventory digital assets across hybrid environments. While we acknowledge the potential of QLYS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
