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Bitcoin Rises as Latest Teetering U.S. Bank Sends Traders to Crypto Haven
California-based PacWest Bancorp is weighing strategic options, according to Bloomberg.
Updated May 3, 2023, 9:46 p.m. Published May 3, 2023, 9:32 p.m.
The banking crisis doesn't appear to be over yet. Shares of PacWest Bancorp (PACW) fell by more than 50% in after-hours action on Wednesday following a Bloomberg report the U.S.-based lender is mulling a range of strategic options.
Bitcoin was up on the news, rising more than 2% to $28,900 at press time.
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The news on PacWest comes only days after First Republic Bank (FRC) was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) and then sold at auction to JPMorgan (JPM). In a Monday morning call following the takeover, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said, "I think the banking system is very stable. ... This part of the crisis is over."
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had similar thoughts after the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting Wednesday. Speaking after the central bank's 10th consecutive rate hike, Powell declared the banking system to be "sound and resilient."
Other regional bank stocks have been moving lower on Thursday including Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL), down 28%, and Metropolitan Bank (MCB), down 19%.
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