HSBC led the London market lower on Wednesday after a $3 billion hit to its operations in China saw the banking giant’s quarterly profits dive 80%.
Shares within the U.K.-based lender
HSBA,
-8.08%
HSBC,
+1.31%,
which makes most of its earnings in Asia, fell 7% after saying it could take a $3 billion impairment on its stake in China’s Bank of Communications.
HSBC also said it could also add $200 million to its reserves to cover expected credit losses from industrial property in mainland China, taking the 2023 total to $1 billion.
The fees left profits for the fourth quarter of 2023 at $1 billion, down from $5 billion for a similar three months in 2022. Nevertheless, higher rates of interest helped HSBC to a full 12 months 2023 record pre-tax profit of $30 billion, up 78% from the previous 12 months — though this was below analysts’ forecasts of $34 billion.
HSBC’s exposure to China comes at a time when the world’s second-biggest economy is facing slow growth amid weak consumer sentiment because the once booming property sector continues to deflate.
Nevertheless, HSBC CEO Noel Quinn, said the bank was “a committed investor into China . . . and [we] remain confident on the economy.”
“Exposure to Asia has given HSBC a distinct growth profile than its U.K.-focused counterparts however it brings risk too and that’s writ large in its fourth quarter and full 12 months results,” said Danni Hewson, head of economic evaluation at AJ Bell.
“It’s price saying that the write downs announced today are accounting decisions and have zero impact on HSBC’s capital ratios or ability to dole out money to shareholders,” added Hewson, as she noted that the lender also announced a $2 billion share buyback.
Alistair Ryan, analyst at Bank of America, was also sanguine concerning the “one-time charges” and welcomed HSBC’s investment for growth across Asia and within the U.K.
With a buy rating and a share price goal of 760p, Ryan said: “we predict investment and franchise sets the bank aside from peers…Within the near term, a 6x PE and eight% peculiar dividend yield are complemented by additional distributions.”
Nevertheless, the slide in HSBC shares left the FTSE 100
UK:UKX
in London on the back foot, nursing a 0.8% fall as quite a few poorly received results weighed on the blue-chip barometer.
Shares of Glencore
GLEN,
-2.42%
fell greater than 3% after the commodity trader slashed its dividend as falling coal and gas prices caused profits to halve in 2023.
BAE Systems
BA,
-2.59%
stock dropped 3% after the defense group’s positive forecasts couldn’t quite match the optimism that recently pushed its shares to a record high.
Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, remained positive on BAE, noting that 42% of its sales got here from the U.S. last 12 months, making it the biggest single contributor.
“On an absolute basis, U.S. military spending trumps another country on the earth, so having a big exposure here is proving very helpful and has helped the group usher in a record £37.7bn price of orders in 2023.”
Elsewhere in Europe the mood was more upbeat, with Frankfurt’s DAX up 0.4% and the CAC 40 in Paris adding 0.2%.
There was little movement within the euro
EURUSD,
-0.08%
and pound
GBPUSD,
-0.05%
as traders waited for the Federal Reserve minutes to be released after the European markets close.