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☆ Regional banks are struggling. Here's why and how to profit from the trend with options
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Regional banks are taking hits this week and investors are increasing their bearish bets on the sector. Higher rates impact Higher interest rates increase the cost of borrowing money. Higher interest rates can also reduce demand for loans, as borrowing becomes more expensive for consumers and businesses. This can deteriorate the asset quality of regional banks, increasing the need for loan loss provisions, which are expenses set aside to cover potential loan losses. Rising interest rates and inflation can pressure banks' capital adequacy ratios, a measure of a bank's capital relative to its risks.

Persons: Banks Organizations: Regional Banking, Banks

☆ Nvidia has a parade of partners, but these two stocks are my favorite beneficiaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +23 min

That's what Nvidia needed semiconductor design firm Synopsys to do to make this next generation of chips. Right now, Nvidia has had not one, but two different breakthroughs: Accelerated computing at a ridiculously fast speed and generative artificial intelligence. I think Jensen regards Dell as a crucial partner when it comes to installing Nvidia's systems anywhere. Do I think Nvidia would like to do more business with Apple? I think Nvidia would like to do more business with everyone, including alleged opponent Intel .

Persons: Abraham Lincoln, David Herbert Donald, Jensen, It's, Jensen Huang, Lincoln, Leonardo da Vinci, da Vinci, he's, Blackwell, Grace Hooper Superchip, –, Moby Dick –, that's, they've, Adam Selipsky, Jensen laughingly, Claude, Anthropic, Dell, Michael Dell, Jensen's, it's, dink, I'm, Johnson, J, Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, we've, CrowdStrike, ServiceNow, Bill McDermott, Tesla, Elon Musk, Lora Kolodny, That's, Frank Slootman, Ansys, Synopsys, isn't, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Larry Ellison, Nvidia's Blackwell, Mark Zuckerberg, Jim, Tim Cook, Cook, Apple, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Josh Edelson Organizations: Lincoln, GTC, Nvidia, GTC –, CNBC, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Dell Technologies, Club, Dell, Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Cadence Design Systems, Nvidia's, Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, GE Healthcare, cybersecurity, Palo Alto, Palo, Snowflake, AMD, Autodesk, Cadence, Computer, Oracle, Apple, Justice Department, Intel, Vision, Jim Cramer's Charitable, SAP Center, AFP, Getty Locations: U.S, Silicon Valley, Lincoln, Here's, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh, Switzerland, San Jose , California

☆ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announces new AI chips: 'We need bigger GPUs'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address during the Nvidia GTC Artificial Intelligence Conference at SAP Center on March 18, 2024 in San Jose, California. Nvidia on Monday announced a new generation of artificial intelligence chips and software for running artificial intelligence models. The announcement, made during Nvidia's developer's conference in San Jose, comes as the chipmaker seeks to solidify its position as the go-to supplier for AI companies. “Hopper is fantastic, but we need bigger GPUs,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Monday at the company's developer conference in California. Das said Nvidia's new software will make it easier to run programs on any of Nvidia's GPUs, even older ones that might be better suited for deploying but not building AI.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Nvidia's, ChatGPT, Blackwell, Hopper, Huang, Manuvir Das, what's, Das, you've, we'll Organizations: Nvidia, Intelligence, SAP Center, Monday, Microsoft, Meta, Companies, Apple, Manuvir Locations: San Jose , California, San Jose, California

☆ Italy Finance Minister evokes default risk to defend bank measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti attends the first voting session at the lower house of parliament to elect the new speaker in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2022. "In two or three years' time, when I may not be around but there will be a default crisis, perhaps someone will say that our government was not so crazy," Giorgetti said, without giving further details of this scenario. The average default rate for Italian companies rose for the first time in nearly decade in 2022 to stand at 2.4% in December, compared with a record low of 1.6% in December 2021, credit data company CRIF said last month. The rate has edged up in the first half of 2023 to 2.5%, CRIF added, forecasting it could get to 3% by the end of 2023. ($1 = 0.9346 euros)Additional reporting by Valentina Za in Milan; Editing by Gareth Jones and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Giancarlo Giorgetti, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Giorgetti, CRIF, Valentina Za, Gareth Jones, Alexander Smith Organizations: Economic, REUTERS, Italian Economy, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, ROME, Italian, Europe, Israel, Ukraine, Milan

CBA said cash profit was A$2.5 billion ($1.6 billion) for the quarter, which was 3% better than a consensus estimate for the period, according to data aggregator Visible Alpha. "Home lending margins stabilised in the quarter," it added, without giving figures. Shares of CBA rose as much as 1% in morning trading, in line with the broader market (.AXJO) as analysts welcomed the better-than-expected margin outcome and a smaller-than-expected provision for potential loan impairments. Commenting on the bank's stabilising home loan margins, E&P Financial analyst Azib Khan said that "it would be helping on this front that CBA has been willing to forgo market share". For the year to September, CBA said it grew its mortgage book at 0.7 times the rate of the overall mortgage industry.

Persons: Brendan Sproules, Azib Khan, Himanshi, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of, ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank, CBA, Citi, P, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Australia's ANZ sinks as record annual profit falls short of market forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Rishav Chatterjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. The banking group's Aussie commercial business recorded 11% revenue growth over the year with lending rising to record high of A$62 billion. ANZ intends to expand its commercial business with focus on its currency and payment sites while reducing costs, it said. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents apiece, up from 74 Australian cents apiece announced a year ago. ANZ, however flagged that the external environment will likely remain challenging adding that higher interest rates will impact economic activity as it sees "another year of cost-of-living pressures."

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Azib Khan, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Grant McCool, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ, Citi, P Capital, Suncorp, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Australia, Bengaluru

That pushed net profit from the bank's institutional unit up 53% to overtake its retail unit, by dollar value, in the year to September, and helped the Melbourne-listed company grow overall profit 14% to A$7.4 billion ($4.7 billion), just missing a Visible Alpha consensus forecast of A$7.56 billion. But analysts expressed concern about a faster-than-expected narrowing of profit margin from the bank's retail unit, the only one of Australia's so-called big four lenders that has persisted with offering cash handouts to lure mortgage customers looking for a cheaper deal. The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott denied forgoing margin to grow mortgages faster than the market, and challenged comments from other banks that have said they were intentionally slowing mortgage growth while competition eroded profit. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents per share, up from 74 cents a year ago.

Persons: NIM, Lucy Craymer, Shayne Elliott, we've, Byron Kaye, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank, midsession, ANZ Bank, REUTERS, UBS, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Sydney, Bengaluru

[1/2] The branch of Credit Agricole bank is seen in Warsaw, Poland, July 3, 2018. Its net income jumped 33% to 1.75 billion euros ($1.87 billion), above the 1.37 billion expected by analysts in a company-compiled poll. Group revenue rose 19% to 6.34 billion euros, topping the 5.99 billion expected by analysts. It reported lower-than-expected provisions of 429 million euros, helping its bottom line. Credit Agricole controls Europe's largest fund manager Amundi (AMUN.PA) and recently announced plans to acquire Belgian wealth management firm Degroof Petercam.

Persons: Marcin Goclowski, Morgan, Amundi, Degroof, Mathieu Rosemain, Augustin Turpin, Silvia Aloisi, Jason Neely Organizations: Credit Agricole, REUTERS, Credit, Credit Agricole Group, Societe Generale, BNP, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Credit, Warsaw, Poland, PARIS, Italy, France

☆ Bank stocks could be the hot year-end trade if peak rates prove a 'mini clearing event'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It's time to pick positions in bank stocks heading into year end as peak rates could be a "mini clearing event" for the sector, according to Bank of America. "While we are careful to not [get] carried away, peak interest rates do have potential to serve as a mini clearing event for bank stocks," BofA's Ebrahim Poonawala wrote in a Sunday note. Regional banks are down by 27% this year, and have continued to face intense scrutiny due to their exposure to commercial real estate. "Best case, peak rates could mark near term bottom in bank stocks vs. S & P." To be sure, there remain issues in the sector. Bank stocks are highly tied to the broader economy and their loans could take a hit if the U.S. falls into a recession.

Persons: BofA's Ebrahim Poonawala, JPMorgan Chase, KRE, Poonawala, NIM, it's, Bryn Talkington, Talkington, Morgan Stanley, Bill Gross, Gross Organizations: Bank of America, Bank, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Regional Banking, P Bank, Federal Reserve, Capital Management, West Bancorp, Truist Financial, Citizens, Apple Locations: Wells Fargo, U.S

☆ Cross-Tabs: October 2023 Times/Siena Poll of the 2024 Battlegrounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

[READ LIST]Thinking about the investigations into Donald Trump, do you think that Donald Trump has or has not committed any serious federal crimes? (Split 2) Do you think Donald Trump has the mental sharpness to be an effective president? (Split 2) Do you think Donald Trump has the personality and temperament to be an effective president? (Split 2) Do you think Joe Biden has the personality and temperament to be an effective president? [READ LIST]Do you think Donald Trump is good for democracy, bad for democracy, or neither good nor bad for democracy?

Persons: †, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Tell, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Biden, Fielding, ReconMR Organizations: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Party, Siena College Research Institute, Republican, Trump, Democratic, Democrat, New York Times, The New York Times, statehouse, Research, University of North, Institute for Policy, Roanoke College, The Times, • Party, Times Locations: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Dominican, Puerto Rican, American, Ukraine, China, America, U.S, Mexico, United States, Siena, Arizona , Georgia, Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona , Michigan, Pennsylvania, University of North Florida, State

☆ HSBC's after-tax profit surges over 235% year-on-year, announces $3 billion share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

HSBC's profit after tax came in at $6.26 billion in the three months ended September, jumping 235% compared to the $2.66 billion in the same period last year. Europe largest bank by assets also saw profit before tax for the quarter rise by $4.5 billion to $7.7 billion, mainly due to a higher interest rate environment. However, the numbers missed expectations by economists, who were forecasting a third quarter profit after tax figure of $6.42 billion and profit before tax of $8.1 billion. HSBC also attributed this to the higher interest rate environment, saying that it has supported growth in net interest income in all of its global businesses. For the nine months ended September, profit after tax stood at $24.33 billion, compared to $11.59 billion in the first nine months of 2022.

Persons: —, NIM Organizations: HSBC Locations: Europe, France, 4Q23, Asia

☆ India's festival season to bring some cheer to economy, say economists
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Milounee Purohit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly 75% of economists, 25 of 33, said spending during this year's festival season, which lasts from October through December, will be higher compared to last year. Among those, 21 said slightly higher and four said significantly higher. "From a year-on-year growth rate perspective, it may not be a substantial upside so to speak." Economists generally agree India needs an even higher growth rate to generate enough jobs for millions of young people who enter the workforce every year. When asked what was India's potential economic growth rate over the next 2-3 years, economists returned a median range of 6.0%-7.0%.

Persons: Anushree, Dhiraj Nim, Alexandra Hermann, Milounee Purohit, Anant Chandak, Susobhan Sarkar, Veronica Khongwir, Hari Kishan, Ross Finley, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Reserve Bank of, ANZ Research, Oxford Economics, Thomson Locations: Delhi, India, Reserve Bank of India

☆ Top private Indian banks report strong Q2 profit rise as loan growth continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The bank's net interest income - the difference between interest earned and paid - rose nearly 24% to 183.08 billion rupees, while asset quality also improved. Kotak Mahindra Bank (KTKM.NS), the fourth largest Indian bank by market capitalisation, reported a 21% rise in loans for the second quarter, which contributed to a 24% increase in standalone net profit. Indian banks have consistently clocked double-digit loan growth over the past few months due to rising demand for credit, amid increased consumer spending. However, the banking regulator has been concerned about a sharp rise in unsecured loans - mostly personal loans and credit cards. "Although concerns (in the unsecured book) remain, they are not currently significant," said the bank's MD Prashant Kumar.

Persons: Dipak Gupta, Prashant Kumar, Siddhi Nayak, Clelia Oziel, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI

☆ Regional banks are in focus in the week ahead as third-quarter earnings season ramps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Regional banks will be in focus in the week ahead as traders head into the thick of third-quarter earnings season. Regional bank earnings are also expected to be a weak point this season. But a closer look into the sector's sub-industries showed that regional banks are anticipated to have tumbled by 15% last quarter. Traders parsing through regional bank earnings will pay special attention to signs of narrowing net interest margins (NIM). Earnings season underway Many investors anticipate that the third-quarter earnings season will be alright.

Persons: Wells, Kumar, FactSet's John Butters, NIM, They'll, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, FactSet's Butters, Nancy Tengler, Lauren Goodwin, we'll, Goodwin, Charles Schwab, Lockheed Martin, Goldman, Zions, Kinder Morgan, Lam, McLennan, Philip Morris, Huntington Bancshares, —, Jesse Pound Organizations: Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Sri, Kumar, Silicon Valley Bank, Regional Banking, Dow Jones Industrial, JPMorgan, Hamas, Northern Trust, U.S . Bancorp, T Bank, Citizens Financial, Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Companies, Investments, New York Life Investments, Index, Johnson, Bank of New York Mellon, Goldman Sachs Group, Hunt Transport Services, Omnicom, United Airlines Wednesday, Housing, Elevance, Citizens Financial Group, Procter, Gamble, Abbott Laboratories, Discover Financial Services, Las Vegas Sands, PPG Industries, Steel Dynamics, Tesla, Netflix, Lam Research, Philadelphia Fed, Truist, Alaska Air Group, Fifth Third Bancorp, American Airlines Group, Marsh, Philip Morris International, Union, CSX, Comerica, Regions Financial, American Express, Interpublic, Cos Locations: Wells Fargo, Silicon, Ukraine, Israel, J.B, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Truist Financial, Union Pacific, Freeport, Huntington

☆ Here are 3 stocks in our portfolio that Goldman Sachs think will rally on earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It's encouraging to see three Club stocks on the bullish side of Goldman Sachs' new list of 25 tactical trades for earnings season. The Goldman research analysts think Wells Fargo's management has "adequately de-risked its NIM [net interest margin] guidance to incorporate potentially higher-for-longer policy rates." HUM YTD mountain Humana YTD Humana (HUM) — which trades at 15.8 times forward earnings estimates — was highlighted by Goldman analysts who are "positive on the company's 2024 outlook." Nvidia — the Club's only other "own it, don't trade it" stock besides Apple (AAPL) — trades at 31.1 times forward earnings estimates. The Goldman Sachs logo is seen on at the New York Stock Exchange on September 13, 2022 in New York City.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Wells, YTD Goldman Sachs, It's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Michael M Organizations: Humana, Nvidia, WFC, Apple, CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, Santiago, Getty Locations: Wells, Wells Fargo, New York City

☆ Indian inflation seen easing to 5.50% in Sept on softening food price rises: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Milounee Purohit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rises in food prices, which make up about half the consumer price index (CPI), continue to cool from recent peaks after the Indian government enacted a series of measures to boost supply. "Having said that, the persistent part of the food inflation problem remains there, which is cereals, pulses and spices, and I think the RBI can't do much about it anyway." Rising crude oil prices are also likely to keep inflation elevated in the world's third-largest oil importer. Oil prices rose around 3% on Monday to trade around $90 a barrel. "Oil prices ... are likely to remain high over the remainder of the year on global supply concerns," said Alexandra Hermann at Oxford Economics.

Persons: Amit Dave, Dhiraj Nim, Alexandra Hermann, Milounee Purohit, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Hari Kishan, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Reserve Bank of India's, CPI, ANZ Research, Oxford, Inflation, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, BENGALURU

The government last week revisited a 40% tax on banks' net interest margin (NIM) that it had introduced in a shock move in August. Lenders now have the option to boost reserves by an amount equivalent to 2.5 times the tax. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Sept. 27 the final outcome of the process would be "a great bank policy measure" that makes Italy's banks the strongest in Europe. The law requires banks that forego the tax to set aside money under ad hoc reserves in their accounts. If forced to boost capital through the ad hoc reserves, banks can use larger buybacks over time to compensate shareholders, one of the sources said.

Persons: Giancarlo Giorgetti, Remo Casilli, Banks, Luigi Lovaglio, Andrea Orcel, Giorgia Meloni, Giorgetti, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, Economy, European Central Bank, Monte, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, ROME, Europe, Monte dei, Siena

☆ As interest rates soar, buy stocks like this homebuilder, Wall Street analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Interest rates keep climbing, but that's not stopping Wall Street analysts from finding a slew of stocks to buy. CNBC Pro combed through top Wall Street research to find stocks that are beneficiaries of high interest rates. HealthEquity "We view HQY as an attractive investment in a higher interest rate environment that can function as a portfolio diversifier," according to Baird analyst Mark Marcon. The firm said as middle market businesses face rising interest rates, Bunge can take advantage. Toll Brothers High interest rates are no problem for the homebuilder, Raymond James analyst Buck Horne said in a recent note.

Persons: Bunge, Baird, Mark Marcon, Marcon, Goldman Sachs, Adam Samuelson, Samuelson, Raymond James, Buck Horne, Horne, homebuilders, TOL, HealthEquity, Morgan Stanley Organizations: CNBC, Bank of America, Toll, HealthEquity, Costco, Evercore ISI, CMA, Catering Locations: HealthEquity, homebuilders, homebuilding

ROME, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Italy plans to revisit its contested windfall tax on banks by giving lenders the option to boost their reserve buffers instead of paying the levy, a draft amendment seen by Reuters showed on Saturday. Bank shares tumbled before the economy ministry clarified that it would not collect more than 0.1% of lenders' total assets. More importantly, instead of paying the tax, banks can boost their non-distributable reserves by earmarking an amount equivalent to two and a half times the levy. Such an option is expected to exempt cooperative banks from the tax, as they usually put aside a large part of their profits as reserves. In the current version, the tax would apply if NIM grows by 5% in 2022 and 10% in 2023 from 2021 levels.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, NIM, Jan Harvey Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Bank, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Frankfurt

☆ Here's our second-quarter earnings report card for 34 stocks in the portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

Eli Lilly not only reported a stellar second quarter, management was able to raise its full-year sales and adjusted earnings outlook as well. Though revenues were a tad short, earnings results were better than expected on a both a HAAP and adjusted basis. Constellation Brands' (STZ) sales and earnings results outpaced expectations. DuPont (DD) reported a good quarter prior to us initiating a position in the name. But the slight comparable-sales miss in North America prompted questions about the company's ability to hit its long-term targets of 10% to 12% revenue growth and 15% to 20% earnings growth.

Persons: That's, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Morgan Stanley, Stanley Black, Decker, it's, Wells Fargo, Sartorius, Estee Lauder, We're, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Hsun Huang, Patrick T Organizations: Procter, Gamble, TJX, Federal Reserve, Club, Costco, Emerson Electric, Humana, Oracle, Alto Networks, billings, Companies, Wynn Resorts, WYNN, North, Broadcom, Constellation Brands, DuPont, Ford, GE Healthcare Technologies, Linde, LIN, Microsoft, Natural Resources, Procter & Gamble, —, Health, Coterra Energy, Disney, Starbucks, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Nvidia Corp, Mobile, Fallon, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: China, Macau, North American, DuPont's, India, North America, Los Angeles , California

The logo of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is pictured at the entrance to its branch in Beijing, China April 1, 2019. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) (601398.SS), the country's biggest lender, and Bank of China (BoC) (601988.SS) posted in exchange filings first half profit growth of 1.2% and 0.78%, respectively, from a year earlier. "There are some regional risks that have begun to emerge," Liu said, adding that asset quality has declined slightly but remains under control. BoC's NIM narrowed to 1.67% at end-June from 1.7% at end-March. "Chinese banks are likely to continue to face earnings pressure from margin compression," said Ming Tan, director at S&P Global Ratings.

Persons: Florence, Liu Jiandong, Liu, NIM, BoC's NIM, ICBC, Ming Tan, Tan, BoC's, Ziyi Tang, Engen Tham, Selena Li, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Mark Potter, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, REUTERS, BoC, Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Bank of China, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, ICBC's

☆ Guangzhou eases mortgage rules as China ramps up efforts to revive property sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Guangzhou on Wednesday became the first major Chinese city to announce an easing of mortgage curbs as the government ramps up efforts to revive the crisis-hit property sector and shore up the sputtering economy. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Mainland Property Index rose as much as 3.3% after the Guangzhou city government's announcement. Like its peers, the company has been hurt by a drop in margins as property sales and the value of the homes themselves plummeted as the economy slowed. BANKS MARGINThe mortgage rate cuts will add to margin pressure on banks. China's benchmark banking sector index fell 1.04% after the Guangzhou mortgage announcement while China's CSI300 index gained 0.02%.

Persons: Jackson Wang, Wang, I'm, Raymond Cheng, Vivian Xue Organizations: Guangzhou, Wednesday, Hang Seng Mainland, Country Garden, provident, CGS, CIMB Securities, APAC, Fitch, Reuters Locations: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hang Seng, Linyi, China, Hong Kong

☆ Chinese banks to cut existing mortgage rates as property crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The reduction in existing mortgage rates will come amid several other property, economic and market support measures Beijing has announced over the past few weeks, as concerns mount about the health of the world's second-largest economy. Chinese lenders were widely expected to cut interest rates on existing mortgages after the PBOC earlier this month said that it would guide commercial banks to do so. The central bank's proposal to cut rates, which came after a wave of early repayments of mortgage debt, aims to reduce the interest rate costs for homebuyers and to boost consumption in a slowing economy. Adjusting existing mortgage rates is conducive to easing pressure on banks from mortgage prepayment, Lin Li, vice president of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (601288.SS), the country's No.3 lender by assets, said earlier on Tuesday. Cutting deposit rates could help banks to maintain a proper level of NIM, one of the sources said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhu Qibing, Lin Li, Fu Wanjun, NIM, Xiangming Hou, Rong Ma, Tang, Ryan Woo, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Agricultural Bank of, REUTERS, Bank, BEIJING, People's Bank of China, Reuters, HK, BOC International China, Citigroup, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, Agricultural Bank, China's, Thomson Locations: Agricultural Bank of China, Beijing, China, Hong Kong

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Aug 25 (Reuters) - China's banks will cut deposit rates soon as part of efforts to make mortgages more affordable and revive property demand, analysts reading China's cryptic policy messages reckon. But China did not opt for a broad rate cut that would further depress banks' narrow net interest margins, instead deferring to banks to cut their deposit rates and give themselves room to cheapen mortgages, analysts said. Lowering deposit rates will give banks much needed wiggle room to cut mortgage rates. "Further reductions to the deposit rates are 'arrows on the string,'" said Wang Yifeng, banking analyst at Everbright Securities. He also expects a tweak to rules so that existing mortgage rates can be reset lower.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Wang Yifeng, Zhu Qibing, LPR, Zhu, Lu Ting, Lu, Xing Zhaopeng, Xing, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Samuel Shen, Vidya Ranganathan, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: China Securities Regulatory Commission, REUTERS, Rights, Bankers, Everbright Securities, People's Bank of China, BOC International China, Nomura, ANZ, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ China Construction Bank H1 profit up 3.36%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China Construction Bank Corp (CCB) logo is seen on its headquarters in Beijing, China, March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies H1 net profit 167.34 bln yuan vs 161.9 bln year agoNIM 1.79% end-June vs 1.83% end-MarchNPL ratio 1.37% end-June vs 1.38% end-MarchBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Aug 23 (Reuters) - China Construction Bank Corp (CCB)(601939.SS), the first of the country's Big Five lenders to report half-year results this week, posted a 3.36% rise in first-half net profit on Wednesday. China's second-biggest lender by assets saw profits rise to 167.34 billion yuan ($22.95 billion), a filing by the bank showed. The bank said it will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of a major state bank and provide strong financial support for the real economy for the rest of this year. ($1 = 7.2901 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ziyi Tang and Engen Tham; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kyung, China's, CCB, CCB's, Ziyi Tang, Engen, Jason Neely Organizations: China Construction Bank Corp, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, BEIJING, SHANGHAI

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