New York, February 24, 2026, 14:30 (ET) — Regular session
- Bank of America shares slipped another 1.3% in afternoon trading, following a nearly 4% drop the previous day.
- Financials remain under pressure, dogged by tariff uncertainty and renewed AI disruption worries—even as tech stocks bounce back.
- Investors have an eye on Fed comments, as well as Bank of America’s appearance at the RBC conference on March 10.
Bank of America Corp dropped 1.3% to $50.40 by Tuesday afternoon, adding to a steep decline from the previous session. Shares touched an intraday low of $49.47 and volume topped 31 million, following Monday’s 3.75% slide.
Bank of America shares slipped behind the day’s wider market recovery, as investors tried to make sense of President Donald Trump’s shifting signals on trade and a fresh wave of AI jitters. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed Trump’s tariffs; he responded with a temporary 10% global tariff that started Tuesday, then floated the idea of bumping it up to 15%, still leaving plenty unclear about the details and timing. “Yesterday’s reaction was so overdone that it can’t help but bounce a little bit,” said Ken Polcari, partner and chief market strategist at Slatestone Wealth, while battered tech names found their footing. Federal Reserve governors Christopher Waller and Lisa Cook are slated to speak later Tuesday, and Trump is scheduled for the State of the Union address after the bell. Reuters
The blend is crucial for major banks—confidence fuels credit extension and deal activity. Daily policy signal shifts? Companies hit the brakes on hiring and spending, and it’s lenders who take the initial hit.
Worries in private credit are rippling through financial stocks. Reuters’ Trading Day noted investors rattled by lenders’ ties to struggling U.S. software firms and fresh worries about liquidity. Blue Owl, an alternative asset manager, has paused redemptions at one fund. UBS analysts see a potential 8% jump in private credit defaults over the next year if things go south.
Bank of America shares slipped under their 200-day moving average, a level closely tracked by chart watchers as a signal for momentum shifts. According to Nasdaq, BAC breached that threshold around $50.20 during Tuesday’s trading.
Banks are pitching a more stable message about the business environment. Speaking Monday at JPMorgan’s investor day, Doug Petno, who serves as co-CEO of the commercial and investment bank, said their M&A pipelines look “very good,” adding that many deals are likely to “survive the volatility.” On the analyst side, UBS’s Erika Najarian called money-center banks “relative winners” among financials when it comes to AI disruption. Reuters
The road ahead for Bank of America isn’t straightforward. A fresh jump in tariff rates or pushback from trade partners could squeeze credit markets and send loan losses higher—blunting whatever boost volatility might offer the big banks’ trading businesses.
Investors won’t have to wait long for another update. Bank of America co-president Dean Athanasia is set to appear at RBC Capital Markets’ Global Financial Institutions Conference, scheduled for March 10 at 1:20 p.m. ET. A webcast will be available on the bank’s investor-relations site.
