HSBC: Standard Chartered Group's strong start in 2026 is encouraging, with a "buy" rating.

Morgan Stanley released a research report, noting that Standard Chartered Group's strong start to 2026 is encouraging, with business trends in the first quarter continuing the strong performance of last year. The wealth management business has shown strong performance since the beginning of the year, with net inflows of funds remaining strong. Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, even in a volatile environment, management is confident in maintaining credit costs for the entire cycle at 30 to 35 basis points. Standard Chartered's strategy in corporate, financial institutions, and commercial banking businesses continues to focus on distribution-led businesses and large international corporations. In the corporate and investment banking businesses, the focus continues to shift towards wealth and asset management, while reducing exposure to unsecured consumer loans. All of these factors support confidence in the long-term credit quality. The bank has set a target price of 1865 pence for Standard Chartered's London-listed shares, with a "hold" rating.