Wells Fargo & Co (WFC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Seven Charts Show Why This Bank (BAC) Is Best of Breed

3. The Markets Don’t Like Surprises

Standard deviation, put simply, is a measure of how consistent and predictable an outcome is. A low standard deviation indicates low volatility, while a high standard deviation means that anything could happen.

What this chart illustrates is that over the past four full calendar years, only JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has a more consistent and predictable ROA from quarter to quarter.

Why is that important?