U.S. banks' dismal first quarter may spell trouble for 2016

It is only April, but some on Wall Street are already predicting a rotten 2016 for U.S. banks. Concerns about economic growth in China, the impact of persistently low oil prices on the energy sector, and near-zero interest rates are weighing on capital markets activity as well as loan growth. Analysts forecast a 20 percent decline on average in earnings from the six biggest U.S. banks, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S data.