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The article from the Wall Street Journal - Online Edition discusses ING Groep's decrease in fourth-quarter net profit due to higher loan loss provisions, falling short of market forecasts. The Dutch bank reported a net profit of 1.15 billion euros compared to 1.56 billion euros from the previous year, with a loan loss provision of 299 million euros. ING's financial stability, as measured by its CET1 ratio, decreased to 13.6% from 14.7%, and the bank expects total income to remain stable in the upcoming year. [Extracted from the article]

Deutsche Bank's investment banking division and the release of provisions related to a legal dispute contributed to the bank surpassing profit expectations for the third quarter. Despite challenges in the German economic environment, the bank reported a 39% increase in after-tax profit, reaching 1.67 billion euros. Deutsche Bank is on track to meet its revenue target of 30 billion euros for 2024 and is considering restarting share buybacks after settling a majority of Postbank litigations. Chief Executive Christian Sewing aims to return over 8 billion euros to shareholders through dividends and buybacks by 2026. [Extracted from the article]

CarMax, a used-car retailer, is facing challenges in both supply and demand. The company reported a 0.1% increase in comparable store used-car unit sales, falling short of analysts' expectations. High interest rates are deterring consumers from purchasing used cars, and they are instead opting for older, cheaper vehicles that CarMax does not carry. Additionally, the supply of newer used cars is low due to shortages in new cars in previous years. CarMax's focus has been on preserving profitability rather than market share, and it has pushed back its target of selling two million vehicles. [Extracted from the article]