Surge in Job Cuts for U.S. White-Collar Workers
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 day ago
0mins
Should l Buy JPM?
Source: seekingalpha
- Surge in Layoffs: In March 2026, U.S. job cuts reached 60,620 according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, marking a 25% increase from February's 48,307, highlighting the pressure on companies to restructure around artificial intelligence.
- Significant Industry Impact: The tech sector alone has seen over 70,000 layoffs this year, indicating vulnerability in the industry as firms cut costs and restructure, which could hinder future innovation and market competitiveness.
- Future Layoff Expectations: A survey by Resume.org reveals that 48% of companies plan layoffs in 2026, with 17% certain and 31% likely to cut jobs in Q1, reflecting a cautious outlook on economic conditions.
- Reasons Behind Cuts: Many firms attribute layoffs to the rise of AI, although critics argue this may be a form of 'AI-washing', indicating a broader adjustment from pandemic-era overhiring that could negatively impact investor confidence.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy JPM?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on JPM
Wall Street analysts forecast JPM stock price to rise
19 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 309.950
Low
260.00
Averages
341.38
High
400.00
Current: 309.950
Low
260.00
Averages
341.38
High
400.00
About JPM
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a financial holding company. The Company is engaged in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. The Company operates through three segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Commercial & Investment Bank (CIB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). Its CCB segment offers products and services to consumers and small businesses through bank branches, ATMs, digital and telephone banking. Its CIB segment consists of banking and payments and markets and securities services, and offers a suite of investment banking, lending, payments, market-making, financing, custody and securities products and services to a global base of corporate and institutional clients. AWM segment offers investment and wealth management solutions. It offers multi-asset investment management solutions, retirement products and services, brokerage, custody, estate planning, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
JPMorgan Increases Mixed Shelf Offering Size to $125 Billion from $80 Billion
JPMorgan's Mixed Shelf Offering: JPMorgan has raised the size of its mixed shelf offering to up to $125 billion, significantly increasing from the previous limit of $80 billion.
Purpose of the Offering: The mixed shelf offering allows JPMorgan to issue various types of securities, providing flexibility in capital raising efforts.
See More
Wall Street Lowers Market Expectations Amid Conflict
- Market Expectations Downgraded: Following the Iran conflict, firms like JPMorgan and Wells Fargo have cut their S&P 500 forecasts, with Wells Fargo reducing its target from 7,800 to 7,300, indicating a cautious outlook for the market.
- Significant Oil Price Impact: Elevated oil prices and record-low consumer confidence suggest that market performance may underperform expectations, raising concerns about potential economic recession risks.
- Poor Historical Forecast Accuracy: Over the past six years, Wall Street has significantly underestimated year-end market closes in five out of six years, particularly in 2022 when a bear market caught many off guard, highlighting the limitations of these predictions.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: While the 2026 market setup resembles that of April 2025, the potential long-term impact on oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz raises concerns about a global recession, necessitating cautious investor strategies.
See More
Wall Street Cuts S&P 500 Targets Amid Iran War
- Wall Street Target Cuts: Major firms like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have reduced their S&P 500 price targets in light of the Iran war, with Wells Fargo lowering its forecast from 7,800 to 7,300, indicating a cautious outlook on market performance.
- Historical Forecast Errors: Over the past six years, Wall Street has significantly underestimated market performance in five of those years, with discrepancies reaching as high as 28%, suggesting that investors should be wary of relying too heavily on Wall Street's predictions, especially in the current uncertain economic climate.
- Market Response and Risks: Although the market has rebounded recently, elevated oil prices and record-low consumer confidence may still lead to underperformance, and if tensions in Iran persist, the risk of a global recession could increase significantly.
- Long-Term Investment Strategy: Despite short-term risks, history shows that investors who remain committed typically see returns, thus when considering investments in the S&P 500, investors should focus on long-term gains rather than short-term fluctuations.
See More
Understanding Investment Terms: Volume 8
- Retirement Smile: The retirement smile describes the spending pattern of retirees, which starts high, dips in the middle years, and rises again due to increased healthcare costs, significantly impacting financial planning strategies.
- Depreciation Concept: Depreciation is the accounting process of spreading the cost of long-lived assets over their useful life, affecting reported profitability, especially in capital-intensive industries like AI data centers.
- Dollar-Cost Averaging: Dollar-cost averaging involves regularly purchasing stocks or index funds at different price points, helping investors maintain a consistent investment rhythm amidst market volatility, making it suitable for long-term investing.
- Risk Tolerance: Risk tolerance refers to an investor's comfort with market volatility and potential losses, often revealed during market downturns, and requires self-reflection to fully understand.
See More
Understanding Investment Terms: Volume 8
- Investment Terms Introduction: In Volume 8 of Rule Breaker Investing, David Gardner discusses six important investment terms with Motley Fool analysts, aiming to enhance investors' understanding of market dynamics and improve decision-making.
- Retirement Smile Curve: Amanda Kish introduces the retirement smile curve, emphasizing the U-shaped spending pattern in retirement, where initial spending is high, decreases in mid-retirement, and rises again due to healthcare costs, reminding investors to plan retirement funds wisely.
- Depreciation Concept: Nick Sciple explains the accounting treatment of depreciation and its impact on corporate profitability, stressing that investors should focus on cash flow rather than solely relying on the income statement for a more accurate assessment of a company's financial health.
- Risk Tolerance: Alicia Alfiere explores the complexity of risk tolerance, highlighting the need for investors to engage in self-reflection during market volatility to better understand their investment psychology and decision-making processes.
See More
JPMorgan Downgrades Qualcomm Ahead of Earnings
- Earnings Risk Elevated: JPMorgan downgraded Qualcomm from Overweight to Neutral and cut its price target from $185 to $140, indicating rising pressures in its core handset business ahead of the earnings report, with QCT revenue expected to decline by 22% in 2026, significantly impacting profitability.
- Market Reaction Weak: Qualcomm's stock has fallen 22% year-to-date in 2026 and nearly 40% from its October peak, currently trading around $136, reflecting market concerns over its future earnings potential, particularly amid weakening smartphone demand.
- Core Business Challenges: Qualcomm's CDMA Technology unit remains its main profit driver, but risks from memory supply constraints and high customer concentration with Apple and Samsung threaten profitability, with QCT EBT margins expected to drop from 31% to 26%-28%.
- Limited Diversification Progress: Although Qualcomm has made strides in automotive and data center sectors, with automotive revenue growing 15% year-over-year to $1.1 billion in Q1 2026, these segments are still too small to offset declines in handset earnings, leaving investor confidence in future profitability fragile.
See More
JPMorgan Increases Mixed Shelf Offering Size to $125 Billion from $80 Billion
JPMorgan's Mixed Shelf Offering: JPMorgan has raised the size of its mixed shelf offering to up to $125 billion, significantly increasing from the previous limit of $80 billion.
Purpose of the Offering: The mixed shelf offering allows JPMorgan to issue various types of securities, providing flexibility in capital raising efforts.
See More
Wall Street Lowers Market Expectations Amid Conflict
- Market Expectations Downgraded: Following the Iran conflict, firms like JPMorgan and Wells Fargo have cut their S&P 500 forecasts, with Wells Fargo reducing its target from 7,800 to 7,300, indicating a cautious outlook for the market.
- Significant Oil Price Impact: Elevated oil prices and record-low consumer confidence suggest that market performance may underperform expectations, raising concerns about potential economic recession risks.
- Poor Historical Forecast Accuracy: Over the past six years, Wall Street has significantly underestimated year-end market closes in five out of six years, particularly in 2022 when a bear market caught many off guard, highlighting the limitations of these predictions.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: While the 2026 market setup resembles that of April 2025, the potential long-term impact on oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz raises concerns about a global recession, necessitating cautious investor strategies.
See More
Wall Street Cuts S&P 500 Targets Amid Iran War
- Wall Street Target Cuts: Major firms like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have reduced their S&P 500 price targets in light of the Iran war, with Wells Fargo lowering its forecast from 7,800 to 7,300, indicating a cautious outlook on market performance.
- Historical Forecast Errors: Over the past six years, Wall Street has significantly underestimated market performance in five of those years, with discrepancies reaching as high as 28%, suggesting that investors should be wary of relying too heavily on Wall Street's predictions, especially in the current uncertain economic climate.
- Market Response and Risks: Although the market has rebounded recently, elevated oil prices and record-low consumer confidence may still lead to underperformance, and if tensions in Iran persist, the risk of a global recession could increase significantly.
- Long-Term Investment Strategy: Despite short-term risks, history shows that investors who remain committed typically see returns, thus when considering investments in the S&P 500, investors should focus on long-term gains rather than short-term fluctuations.
See More
Understanding Investment Terms: Volume 8
- Retirement Smile: The retirement smile describes the spending pattern of retirees, which starts high, dips in the middle years, and rises again due to increased healthcare costs, significantly impacting financial planning strategies.
- Depreciation Concept: Depreciation is the accounting process of spreading the cost of long-lived assets over their useful life, affecting reported profitability, especially in capital-intensive industries like AI data centers.
- Dollar-Cost Averaging: Dollar-cost averaging involves regularly purchasing stocks or index funds at different price points, helping investors maintain a consistent investment rhythm amidst market volatility, making it suitable for long-term investing.
- Risk Tolerance: Risk tolerance refers to an investor's comfort with market volatility and potential losses, often revealed during market downturns, and requires self-reflection to fully understand.
See More
Understanding Investment Terms: Volume 8
- Investment Terms Introduction: In Volume 8 of Rule Breaker Investing, David Gardner discusses six important investment terms with Motley Fool analysts, aiming to enhance investors' understanding of market dynamics and improve decision-making.
- Retirement Smile Curve: Amanda Kish introduces the retirement smile curve, emphasizing the U-shaped spending pattern in retirement, where initial spending is high, decreases in mid-retirement, and rises again due to healthcare costs, reminding investors to plan retirement funds wisely.
- Depreciation Concept: Nick Sciple explains the accounting treatment of depreciation and its impact on corporate profitability, stressing that investors should focus on cash flow rather than solely relying on the income statement for a more accurate assessment of a company's financial health.
- Risk Tolerance: Alicia Alfiere explores the complexity of risk tolerance, highlighting the need for investors to engage in self-reflection during market volatility to better understand their investment psychology and decision-making processes.
See More
JPMorgan Downgrades Qualcomm Ahead of Earnings
- Earnings Risk Elevated: JPMorgan downgraded Qualcomm from Overweight to Neutral and cut its price target from $185 to $140, indicating rising pressures in its core handset business ahead of the earnings report, with QCT revenue expected to decline by 22% in 2026, significantly impacting profitability.
- Market Reaction Weak: Qualcomm's stock has fallen 22% year-to-date in 2026 and nearly 40% from its October peak, currently trading around $136, reflecting market concerns over its future earnings potential, particularly amid weakening smartphone demand.
- Core Business Challenges: Qualcomm's CDMA Technology unit remains its main profit driver, but risks from memory supply constraints and high customer concentration with Apple and Samsung threaten profitability, with QCT EBT margins expected to drop from 31% to 26%-28%.
- Limited Diversification Progress: Although Qualcomm has made strides in automotive and data center sectors, with automotive revenue growing 15% year-over-year to $1.1 billion in Q1 2026, these segments are still too small to offset declines in handset earnings, leaving investor confidence in future profitability fragile.
See More
