Seven Days: 30 October 2020

Banks update

HSBC dividend?

In its third-quarter results, HSBC (HSBA.) told shareholders that the board “will consider whether to pay a conservative dividend for 2020”, subject to the economic outlook in early 2021 and regulatory consultation. It had been forced by the Bank of England to stop its quarterly payout earlier this year because of the the pandemic. The third-quarter ‘CET1’ capital ratio – the proportion of equity capital against total risk-weighted assets – climbed by 60 basis points to 15.6 per cent. Expected credit losses were four-fifths below the level of provisions booked in the second quarter. Barclays’ (BARC) figures beat market profit forecasts, and its expected credit losses dipped by 63 per cent.