Investopedia: HSBC Faces A Longer Road Back To Normal

With operations in 87 countries and every major region of the world, HSBC (NYSE:HBC) basically is world banking, or at the very least has a much wider view than almost any of its competitors. To that end, investors should take some encouragement from what looks like better operating conditions around the globe. That said, investors should not ignore HSBC's lower forward ROE guidance - a strong hint that the banking industry of tomorrow will not resemble the intra-bubble levels of profitability any time soon. (For background reading, see Analyzing A Bank's Financial Statements.)

An OK End to the Year 

For the full year of 2010, HSBC reported that revenue increased just over 3% to $68.2 billion, missing the consensus estimate by about $1 billion. Net interest income fell a bit more than 3%, largely due to lower rates. The company's overall net interest margin fell as well. The biggest delta on the revenue lines, though, was in trading results: HSBC booked about 25% less revenue here than in the year-ago period and that meant $2.6 billion less in operating revenue.

Unfortunately, the company did not exactly make up for it as it went along. Compensation and administrative expenses both grew at rates that outstripped revenue growth and the company saw its efficiency ratio move to an uninspiring 55.2% - well above its 50% target level. (For related reading, see Measuring Company Efficiency.)

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