Money Stuff: JPMorgan Had a Good Bad Year

JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced its quarterly results this morning and they were … good? Bad? Weird? Awkward? “Too early to say”? Here’s Jamie Dimon:

It is hard to know what to do with “a challenging year where we generated record revenue.” You can take it as sort of a boast: This year was hard, but we did better than ever, because we are very good at our jobs. You can take it as a sigh of relief: Boy are we glad 2020 is over, also wow look how rich we are. You can take it as an acknowledgment that, in the midst of a pandemic, it’s a little gauche for a big bank to make record profits: We recognize how hard this year was for everyone, and we will collect our enormous winnings in a solemn and dignified fashion.