Financials Are 'Very Cheap'—Buy Now: Pro

Financials have trailed the market this year, but is 2011 the chance for a new rally in banks? Anton Schutz, president of Mendon Capital, and Ron Carson, chief executive and founder at Carson Wealth Management, shared their opposing viewpoints.

Point — Banks Will See Improvement:

“We’re getting positive numbers all over the place and banks are incredibly levered,” Schutz told CNBC.

“Spreads are going to be better and volume is going to pick up as the economy moves.”

Schutz said the financials are “very cheap” and added that capital will return, more buybacks will happen and dividends will be increased.

Counterpoint — Stay Away From Financials:

Meanwhile, Carson remains skeptical on the sector.

“We don’t know what the assets are worth on the balance sheets,” he explained. “There’s no motivation for banks to move these toxic assets off the balance sheets because they’re better off holding them—so there’s very little visibility, and I think it’s just an area that you need to stay away from.”

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Scorecard—What They Said:

• Carson's Previous Appearance on CNBC (Nov. 8, 2010)
• Schutz's Previous Appearance on CNBC (Nov. 17, 2010)

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More Market Analysis & Opinion:

• Large Banks Are a 'Good Long-Term Play': Strategist
• Cramer: Are the Banks Finally Safe to Buy?
• Citi a Value Play with This Price Target: Kotowski

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CNBC Slideshows:

• The World’s Safest Banks 2010

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CNBC Data Pages:

• Dow 30 Stocks—In Real Time
• Oil, Gold, Natural Gas Prices Now
• Where's the US Dollar Today?

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Track the Top Banks:

Bank of America

Citigroup

JPMorgan

Goldman Sachs

Morgan Stanley

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Disclosures:

No immediate information was available for Carson or Schutz.

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Disclaimer