1. Which factor most directly affects the profitability of large U.S. banks during economic expansions?
2. Why are payment networks like Visa and Mastercard generally considered lower credit-risk businesses than traditional banks?
3. Which type of financial company is typically most sensitive to capital markets activity such as IPOs, mergers, and trading volumes?
4. Why might a globally diversified bank experience higher volatility than a domestically focused U.S. bank?
