4 Dow Stocks You Need to Watch in March: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)

4. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon is no stranger to controversy, and last week’s news that the bank will cut 17,000 jobs in the coming two years again raised strong reactions from those who’ve criticized the outspoken executive in the wake of billions in losses from the London Whale scandal, despite Dimon’s having taken a pay cut as a result of those losses.

But with the layoffs coming largely from the bank’s mortgage business, which needs fewer people to process a falling number of loans in default, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) appears to be getting healthier. This month’s release of bank stress test results should give confirmation of that trend and potentially set the stage for another round of dividend increases for bank shareholders across the industry. With financials having led the rally higher in stocks, watch closely for any signs that banking in general and JPMorgan in particular haven’t improved as much as most investors believe.

Keep watching
Every Dow stock has interesting things happening with it. But by paying special notice to these four stocks, you’ll potentially get a jump on your investing peers when big news breaks, and that can give you a valuable edge in your portfolio.

With big banks like JPMorgan Chase still trading at deep discounts to their historic norms, investors everywhere are wondering if this is the new normal, or whether finance stocks are a screaming buy today. The answer depends on the company, so to help figure out whether JPMorgan is a buy today, I invite you to read our premium research report on the company today. Click here now for instant access!

The article 4 Dow Stocks You Need to Watch in March originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Dan Caplinger.

Fool contributor Dan Caplinger owns warrants on JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool recommends Home Depot and Disney and owns shares of JPMorgan Chase and (NYSE:JPM) Disney.

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