Aussie banks forecast best HY since mid-2021 as rates stay elevated at 12-year highs
** Australian financial stocks .AXFJ surged over 13% in H1 2024, compared to a 2.2% drop a year earlier
** AXFJ is set to log its best HY since June 30, 2021
** Interest rates in the country are currently at a 12-year high of 4.35%, with further room for possible rate hikes after the central bank flagged inflation woes
** May's CPI data suggests inflation would overstay its welcome as it rose to a six-month high
** Operating in a high-interest-rate environment allows banks to earn higher yield on every dollar they invest, boosting margins
** Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX, the country's top lender, added 13% in H1 and is trading at record high levels
** National Australia Bank NAB.AX added 17.3%, its best HY since December 2020, versus a 12.3% fall a year ago
** Third-largest lender Westpac WBC.AX has added 19% in H1 and is set for its best HY since December 2022
** ANZ ANZ.AX advanced 9.1% in HY and is currently trading at highs last seen in June 2022
** Citi says shares have been driven by positive EPS revisions, largely a function of better asset quality and buybacks
** "In share price terms, the banks have had close to the best year out of the sectors and have propelled the bourse given their ~22% weighting in the ASX 200" - Citi
Australia banks https://reut.rs/3xCUwVQ
Reporting by Rajasik Mukherjee & Roushni Nair in Bengaluru
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