American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) reported its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 today.
American Express posted a 76% dip in earnings for the first quarter of 2020 due to the softness in spending volumes beginning in the last few days of February that significantly accelerated in March as a result of COVID-19 impacts. In light of the current environment, the company is aggressively reducing costs across the enterprise, while at the same time selectively investing in initiatives that are key to its long-term growth strategy.
The provision for losses soared to $2.6 billion from $809 million a year ago, due primarily to a significant reserve builds of $1.7 billion, which reflects the deterioration of the global estimated macroeconomic outlook as a result of COVID-19 impacts.