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☆ StanChart lowers income target as China weighs, launches $1 billion buyback
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Standard Chartered on Friday rewarded shareholders with dividends and a fresh $1 billion buyback as profit rose 18%, but set out modest growth forecasts that will concern investors amid worries about global banks' exposure to China. The bank reported 2023 statutory pre-tax profit rose to $5.09 billion, in line with forecasts, and announced a jump in dividends alongside the buyback. The lender booked 13% income growth in 2023 in constant currency terms. A fresh $150 million writedown of its stake in Bohai Bank, following a $700 million hit earlier this year, reduced its value to $700 million from $1.5 billion at the start of the year. That brought total provisions for its China real estate exposure to $1.2 billion in the last 3 years.

Persons: StanChart Organizations: Bohai Bank, HSBC, Wednesday, British Locations: China, Asia, Bohai, Bohai Bank

☆ StanChart announces $1 billion share buyback, dividend hike as 2023 profit rises 18%
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Standard Chartered on Friday reported 2023 pre-tax profit rose 18%, in line with forecasts, and rewarded shareholders with a $1 billion share buyback and a jump in dividend. StanChart , which earns most of its revenue in Asia, said statutory pretax profit for 2023 reached $5.09 billion, in line with $5.1 billion from 15 analyst estimates compiled by the bank. A fresh $150 million writedown of its stake in Bohai Bank, following a $700 million hit earlier this year, reduced its value to $700 million from $1.5 billion at the start of the year. StanChart said banking industry challenges and the uncertainty swirling around the property market were to blame for the decline in the stake's current value. The London-headquartered lender also announced a final dividend of $560 million or 21 cents per share, resulting in a 50% increase of full year dividend payout to 27 cents, greater than a consensus view of 23.7 cents.

Persons: StanChart Organizations: Bohai Bank Locations: Asia, Bohai, China, Bohai Bank, London

That has been a sticking point for the United States in months of discussions with Beijing on climate change. The United States and China have an outsize role to play there as nations debate whether to phase out fossil fuel. That is significant because the current Chinese climate goal addresses only carbon dioxide, leaving out methane, nitrous oxide and other gases that are acting as a blanket around the planet. Then, early this year, an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had floated over the continental United States. When it comes to climate change, no relationship is as important as the one between the United States and China.

Persons: Biden, Xi Jinping, ”, David Sandalow, Clinton, Obama, Sandalow, they’re, Mr, John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, “, Xi, Manish Bapna, ” Mr, Bapna, Kerry, Xie, Valerie Volcovici, Nancy Pelosi, Kerry’s, optimistically, . Biden, Donald Trump, Keith Bradsher Organizations: Hamas, Columbia University’s Center, Global Energy, International Energy Agency, U.S ., Cooperation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Beijing, Republican Locations: Bohai, Weifang, China, United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Israel, Beijing, Dubai, United Nations, United Kingdom, U.S, California, ”, Europe, American, America

The U.K.-headquartered bank, which earns most of its revenue in Asia, booked July-September statutory pretax profit of $633 million. That compared with $996 million a year earlier and the $1.41 billion average of 16 analyst estimates compiled by the bank. China Bohai booked a 17.8% fall in January-June net interest income, leading to a nearly 7% decline in its overall profit, according to company filings. StanChart's Chinese real estate exposure totalled $2.7 billion, down $200 million from the previous quarter. StanChart has recently had "no contact" with FAB, Chief Financial Officer Andy Halford told reporters on a conference call on Thursday.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, StanChart, China Bohai, Andy Halford, Jefferies, Joe Dickerson, Dickerson, Selena Li, Lawrence White, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Chartered, REUTERS, Bank, Bohai, China Bohai Bank, HK, Abu Dhabi Bank, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Bohai Bank, China, HONG KONG, China Bohai, Russia, Ukraine, Asia, Tianjin, StanChart

☆ Standard Chartered profit slumps on China real estate and banking losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Pedestrians walk past the British multinational banking and financial services company Standard Chartered branch in Hong Kong. Standard Chartered on Friday reported first-half pre-tax profit rose 19%, above market expectations, as the emerging markets-focused lender benefited from rising interest rates. Standard Chartered on Thursday said pre-tax profit dropped 33% in the third quarter of the year, far beyond analyst estimates, after taking a nearly $1 billion hit from exposure to China's banking and troubled real estate sectors. The U.K.-headquartered bank, which earns most of its revenue in Asia, booked July-September statutory pretax profit of $633 million. Its Chinese real estate exposure totaled $2.7 billion, down $200 million from the previous quarter.

Persons: StanChart Organizations: Chartered, Hong Kong ., HK, China Bohai Bank Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, China Bohai, China

☆ Standard Chartered shares slide 12% as China losses hit earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Katrina Bishop | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

watch nowStandard Chartered shares slid Thursday as the bank's big bet on China hit a stumbling block, leading to significant losses in the country. Shares of the Asia-focused bank tanked as much as 17% in early deals, sparking a temporary halt in trade. The result was hit by the bank slashing the value of its investment in China Bohai Bank by $697 million. Standard Chartered also announced a credit impairment charge of $294 million — up $62 million on the year — including a $186 million charge relating to the China commercial real estate sector. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Standard Chartered sharesStandard Bank Chief Financial Officer Andy Halford on Thursday told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" that the "overall performance of the bank is very strong," despite the China news.

Persons: Andy Halford, CNBC's, Halford, " Halford Organizations: Chartered, China, China Bohai Bank, Bank Locations: Asia, London, China Bohai, China

☆ The US just imported its smallest share of Chinese goods in 17 years — and the big winners are Mexico and Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is importing fewer goods from China, as supply chains shift away from the East Asian country. Goods imported from China into the US made up 14.6% of all imports in the 12 months through July, per a Bloomberg analysis. This is the lowest share of Chinese goods imported to the US since 2006. Mexico's share of goods imported into the US hit a record high of 15% in the 12 months through July, while Vietnam's share was 3.7%, just off a record high reached in 2022, per Bloomberg. At almost 16% share of the total trade, Mexico remained the US' top trading partner in July.

Persons: Donald Trump, It's, that's, Luis Torres, Torres Organizations: East, . Goods, Bloomberg, Service, Goods, Census Department, Bureau, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Minth, Binzhou, Piston Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Washington, Beijing, Mexico, Vietnam, Canada, US

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. Country Garden, China's largest private developer by sales, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Lower deposit rates will partially offset various pressures on banks' narrowing net interest margins - a key gauge of profitability, said Nicholas Zhu, a banking analyst at Moody's. "The impact of the deposit rate cut is material, given that close to three-quarters of Chinese banks' liabilities are deposits," Zhu said. China's mortgage loans totalled 38.6 trillion yuan ($5.29 trillion) at the end of June, representing 17% of banks' total loan books.

Persons: Florence Lo, Nicholas Zhu, Zhu, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Wang Jing, Davide Barbuscia, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corp, Agricultural Bank of China, Reuters, Industrial Bank Co Ltd, China Bohai Bank Co Ltd, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Washington, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, New York, Lincoln

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuTAIPEI, March 13 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence spending this year will focus on preparing weapons and equipment for a "total blockade" by China, including parts for F-16 fighters and replenishing weapons, the military said in a report. Xi also said that when it came to Taiwan, China must oppose pro-independence and secessionist activities and the interference of external forces. Taiwan's defence ministry said China has systematically increased the strength of its "joint combat readiness" actions around Taiwan. That is more than double the number from a year earlier and poses a "substantial threat" to Taiwan's defence, the ministry said. China has been "normalising" no-navigation zones around the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Taiwan Strait, the ministry added.

TOUGH TASK AHEADStanChart, which makes most of its profit in Asia, reported statutory pretax profit of $4.3 billion for 2022. That came below the $4.73 billion average of analyst forecasts compiled by the bank but beat the $3.35 billion it made in 2021. On Wednesday, Barclays (BARC.L) reported a 14% fall in full-year pretax profit as earnings were pole-axed by surging costs and a collapse in deal fees, among other factors. StanChart's financial markets trading business reported record income, up 21%, as accelerating inflation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine made for volatile markets, driving frenzied activity by institutional clients throughout 2022. StanChart also took a $308 million hit on its investment in China Bohai Bank (9668.HK), which it attributed to "industry challenges".

The lessors took a hit of almost $10 billion when Russia barred airlines from returning planes hit by Western sanctions to their owners in the West. This has turned the spotlight on other risky markets, most prominently China and Taiwan, where some fear future conflict could cause a similar seizure on a much larger scale. When discussing the Russia losses, most executives speaking at the conference, also touched on China risks. Several executives said the loss of aircraft to Russia would simply feed into risk management models and encourage lessors to be careful about spreading their exposure rather than withdrawing from markets altogether. "Lessors aren't going to be able to abandon higher risk areas because that is what they do," he added.

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