JP Morgan: Short-term driver for Hong Kong banking stocks is uncertainty in Middle East geopolitics.

JP Morgan released a research report stating that Hong Kong bank stocks outperformed the Hang Seng Index and the Hang Seng Financials Index by 12% and 7% on average in February. However, there was significant divergence in the performance of individual banks, with DAHSING BANKING (02356) rising by 18% and STANCHART (02888) falling by 1%, influenced by the performance in the 2025 fiscal year and company-specific news. The overall industry trend shows that despite the continuous decline in interbank rates in Hong Kong and a still loose liquidity environment, the trend of loan growth recovery continues against a backdrop of generally stable asset quality. The report points out that the financial performance for the 2025 fiscal year reported by banks so far supports JP Morgan's expectation of improvement in pre-provision operating profits for the overall banking industry, but the asset quality of regional banks is becoming more stable. However, short-term geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East may become a more important factor driving stock prices in the near future.