大逆转：摩根大通欲裁员4,000人

    邂逅鲸鱼（“伦敦鲸”，摩根大通驻伦敦交易员埃克西尔的别称，他对企业债的交易造成信贷市场的剧烈波动，导致摩根大通蒙受巨额亏损——译者注）的确可以改变一个人。

    一年前，在摩根大通（JPMorgan）的投资者见面日上，首席执行官杰米•戴蒙说，他认为这家超级银行的规模仍然过小。即使经济增长依然缓慢，摩根大通仍然将继续招兵买马，增设分支机构。

    今年，戴蒙的语调似乎发生了改变。

    周二是摩根大通2013年的投资者见面日。当天，这家银行提出了今年的裁员减支计划，称将在一年内削减4,000个工作岗位和10亿美元成本。

    同时，明年这项工作还会加速。摩根大通表示，该行的计划是到2014年底，在社区银行及抵押贷款部门裁员1.9万人。但它没有提供2014年底的员工总数，因此其他部门的招聘工作可能和这项裁员计划相互抵消。

    这既是好消息也是坏消息。一方面，抵押贷款部门裁员意味着摩根大通相信住房贷款问题的最坏阶段已经过去。

    但它同时表明，1年来，面对数十亿美元的交易损失、遭到下调的信贷评级、更为严格的监管和疲软的交易市场，甚至连戴蒙似乎都开始变得收敛起来。2011年，就在其他银行都在缩减规模之际，摩根大通的员工却增加了2万人，总数刚好超过26万人。

    如今，即便是华尔街业绩最好的银行也不得不屈服于瘦身压力。过去约1年的时间里，低利率和至少到最近还处于低迷状态的业务使得银行业利润下降，华尔街的各位首席执行官因此竞相证明自己掌管的银行拥有最高的效率。

    去年12月，花旗集团（Citigroup）宣布将裁员1.1万人，并称裁员后的所谓费用率会处于大型银行的最低水平。据称，高盛（Goldman Sachs）也在酝酿新一轮的裁员。去年，高盛管理层表示，希望将高盛变为华尔街上的低成本金融机构。这倒也算不上是好高骛远。

    即便裁员之后，摩根大通的规模依旧十分庞大。2012年，这家公司员工人数小幅下降到25.8万，而5年前，这个数字才刚过18万。（财富中文网）

    译者：翔

    An encounter with a whale can really change a fella.

    A year ago, at JPMorgan's investor day, CEO Jamie Dimon said he believed his mega-bank was still too small. He said his firm would continue hiring and opening branches, even as the economy remained slow.

    This year, it appears Dimon's tune has changed.

    JPMorgan Chase (JPM) kicked off this year's annual investor day on Tuesday, with plans to reduce headcount and expenses in 2013. The bank says it expects to eliminate 4,000 positions and cut costs by $1 billion over the course of the year.

    And the cuts could accelerate next year. The bank said it plans to eliminate as many as 19,000 employees in its community and mortgage banking units by the end of 2014. But it didn't give an overall headcount number for the end of 2014, so those job cuts could be offset by hiring elsewhere in the bank.

    That's good and bad news. In part, the cuts in its mortgage unit signal that the bank believes the worst of its home loan problems are behind it.

    But it also shows how, after a year dealing with a multi-billion dollar trading loss, credit rating downgrades, increased regulations and a slow market for deals, even Dimon appears to be paring back his vision. JPMorgan's headcount rose by 20,000 in 2011 to just over 260,000, as others were shrinking.

    Now, even Wall Street's best performing bank can't avoid the pressure to slim down. In the past year or so, as banking profits have sagged with low interest rates and, at least until recently, few deals, there has been a race among Wall Street CEOs to prove their bank can be the most efficient.

    In December, Citigroup (C) announced it would lay off 11,000 employees. In doing so, the bank touted that its so-called efficiency ratio would be among the lowest of the big banks. Goldman Sachs (GS) is also reportedly planning a new round of layoffs. Last year, Goldman executives talked about their desire to be Wall Street's low cost provider. Not exactly Master of the Universe talk.

    Even with the job cuts, JPMorgan will still be plenty big. The firm's head count fell modestly in 2012 to 258,000 employees. That up from just over 180,000 five years ago.