Is Jamie Dimon looking to goose-step into Frankfurt and take over troubled Deutsche Bank using Chinese money?
That appears to be to the story coming out of Germany as Deutsche’s stock spikes more than 6% in European trading on the news.
JPMorgan and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China are looking to take a stake — size unknown –to bolster the troubled bank, the report from the business weekly WirtschaftsWoche said.
WIWO also reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had met Axel Weber, the former Bundesbank head who is now chairman of Swiss bank UBS, to discuss his thoughts on Deutsche Bank.
Newly installed CEO Christian Sewing has not given the market any confidence in his ability to turn around the much maligned institution, which has paid nearly $500 billion in penalties and fines to global regulators for its bad banking actions over the last decade.
Sewing is also seen as an impediment to change since he made his bones at the bank during this troubling time as I have written before.
Before the summer ends something will happen with Deutsche Bank. Whether that’s a merger with fellow-troubled German firm Commerzbank or a bailout through cash injections from EU this bank right now is on the ropes and getting pummelled.