HSBC Shares Slide as Q1 Profit Misses Estimates on Rising Credit Losses

Story Summary
HSBC shares fell sharply on Tuesday, with Hong Kong-listed stock dropping 4.6% and U.K. shares declining 5.5%, after the lender reported a first-quarter pre-tax profit of $9.4 billion, missing analyst expectations of $9.59 billion. While revenue grew 6% year-on-year to $18.62 billion, the bank faced $1.3 billion in expected credit losses—a $400 million increase from the prior year—driven by fraud-related exposure to a U.K. financial sponsor and heightened economic uncertainty stemming from the Middle East conflict. Despite these headwinds, CFO Pam Kaur maintained that the bank remains well-provisioned. HSBC continues to target a 17% return on tangible equity, though it warned that regional instability could threaten this goal if economic conditions deteriorate further.





