The Lex Newsletter: European banking is having a time to shine

Dear reader,

The City of London is a jaundiced vantage level from which to survey EU banks. Brexit has shifted the centre of gravity of European finance from the Square Mile to the center of the English Channel. However, the bearishness of Lex’s London crew on European banking predates Brexit. And it encompasses UK lenders in a spirit of equal alternatives pessimism.

Strong outcomes from European banks are posing a check for our lack of religion. The revival of internet curiosity margins in parallel with rising rates of interest kicks away one leg of our bearish thesis. This nonetheless has the next helps: excessive politicisation that impedes large payouts and prohibits cross-border mergers; small, fragmented native lending markets; the presence of price-insensitive lenders with public service missions, notably in Germany; and mature economies the place tech innovation is disappointingly scarce.

These components signpost longer-term worldwide funding in direction of US retail lenders akin to JPMorgan Chase and Truist. That leaves native European fund managers to revel within the latest revival of their financial institution holdings.

Banks in Ireland and Spain have been among the most troubled in the course of the monetary disaster. They have been the sector’s greatest performers final 12 months. Bank of Ireland outperformed friends with positive aspects of just about 80 per cent. CaixaBank and Sabadell in Spain rose by half.

Rising rates of interest are one motive. Greater religion in native regulators is one other. It has change into tougher for banks to function with dangerously skinny buffer capital. That has improved investor confidence.

If outcomes from UniCredit this week are something to go by, 2023 would be the 12 months that Italian banks play catch-up. On Tuesday, chief govt Andrea Orcel unveiled a €5.2bn internet revenue for 2022. That is sort of half as a lot once more because the determine in 2021. As hinted at earlier within the month, shareholder returns will rise with plans handy over €5.2bn this 12 months, equal to 17 per cent of the market worth. Shares rallied strongly on the day, transferring near five-year highs.

Italy’s banks at the moment are of their sweetest spot since earlier than the monetary disaster. A mixture of rising rates of interest, cleaner stability sheets and chunky extra capital underpin the fairness story. Spreads on the nation’s giant sovereign debt pile stay contained after the panic final summer season.

Rising rates of interest stay the power driving outperformance. UniCredit revenues have been €1bn or 1 / 4 larger than the fourth quarter of final 12 months, and internet curiosity earnings (NII) was 40 per cent larger. Further positive aspects are anticipated with futures pricing in a European Central Bank deposit price of greater than 3 per cent for the summer season.

Outside of a central financial institution price reduce, the most important danger to NII is rising deposit charges or “deposit beta”. This displays how fast-rising charges are handed on to depositors. As it stands, corporates are the companies most uncovered to the higher-rate setting.

Orcel has taken precautions in case deposit repricing heats up later within the 12 months, doubling assumptions for deposit beta from 20 per cent to 40 per cent for this 12 months. 

Asset clean-ups throughout Europe over the previous decade imply mortgage losses stay extraordinarily low by historic requirements. Even with a light recession, a value of danger — provisions as a share of complete loans — of 35 foundation factors is anticipated at UniCredit this 12 months, beneath previous recessionary ranges. 

UniCredit’s capital returns help the valuation. Tangible guide worth rose 4 per cent in complete final 12 months. But on a per-share foundation, it was nearly 18 per cent larger. That is flattering a valuation that is still at a 37 per cent low cost to tangible guide worth. Rival Intesa Sanpaolo continues to commerce at near par.

UniCredit is making progress with a plan to return €16bn to shareholders by 2024. Spare capital for a deal appears very possible if 2023 performs in keeping with expectations. “The best stock in the European sector by far” is how Andrea Filtri of Mediobanca describes UniCredit. He started recommending shares at €10 final 12 months.

Many traders in Italian banks will proceed to desire Intesa Sanpaolo. Italy’s largest financial institution is more likely to ship €1.7bn of promised buybacks. Its earnings are of upper high quality. The lender has negotiated the minefield of Italian financial institution mergers cannily beneath chief govt Carlo Messina.

Intesa’s all-share takeover of UBI Banca in 2020 delivered economies of scale and a capital increase by way of the accounting voodoo of destructive goodwill. UniCredit deserves credit score, in the meantime, for warding off makes an attempt by Italy’s incestuous energy elite to foist Monte dei Paschi di Siena — aka “the sick bank of Europe” — on to it at an unattractive value.

As a bunch, Italian banks have the issue — or advantage, in case you favour geographic focus — that worldwide publicity is comparatively low. UniCredit has a sizeable European operation exterior the borders of Italy. But Spain’s BBVA and Santander provide higher diversification. BBVA’s Mexican enterprise is flourishing, as outcomes at present signalled.

What each BBVA and Santander have to exhibit is that diversification can ship higher outcomes than baskets of financial institution shares from the markets the place they function.

Meanwhile, the one European financial institution inventory on which Lex is a medium-term bull is UBS. And the Swiss large is basically extra of a global wealth supervisor than a European retail lender as of late.

Andrew Whiffin
Lex author