Banking sector set to move back into the black
With HSBC and Barclays bank set to kick off the bank reporting season we are hearing rumours that both of these companies will report impressive figures and a return to the black. However, as we covered in one of our recent articles, there is some debate as to how best the banks should tackle the ongoing situation in the UK. Do they come out with excessively upbeat statements, and try to kick UK consumers back into shape, or do they play down the short-term bounce in profitability and try to keep consumers and businesses in check?
There appears no doubt that the vast majority of banks in the UK will report a very strong return to profitability over the coming weeks which will place more pressure on the UK government and UK regulators. In what is becoming a very difficult battle to predict, the UK government and UK regulators are threatening to reveal all about high earners in the city while banks and other financial institutions hold the ace card of liquidity in the lending market.
Despite all of the bravado and the press comments from the UK government and to a lesser extent from the UK financial sector, it seems inevitable that they will find some middle ground on which they can agree and move forward.
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