Big Four

China buys bank shares to bolster confidence

Central Huijin Investment, an arm of China's $400bn sovereign wealth fund, said on Monday that it had bought shares in the "big four" state banks. We think the move was aimed at bolstering confidence both in the banks, which suffered an Rmb 420bn outflow of deposits in the first half of September, and in the wider domestic stock market.

Beijing targets shadow banks

A move by regulators to target the shadow banking system could squeeze the supply of credit, hitting smaller banks and private companies the hardest.

Another big liquidity call augurs ill for A-shares

Tighter capital adequacy ratio requirements are driving banks to tap the liquidity pool through share and bond issuance.

LGFV loans: the great disappearing act

How convinced should investors be by assurances that bank lending to local government finance vehicles (LGFVs) have come down significantly?

Is investor gloom toward banks overdone?

Some banks, such as ICBC, CCB and Minsheng, appear better placed than peers during a year which may not turn out to be as dire as many fear.

China Development Bank changes its spots

Intriguing new licenses for China Development Bank, the country's biggest policy lender, are raising the possibility of a new phase in financial reform.

The Big Three banks – what the future holds

Steady fee and commission growth and recovering net interest income could help drive profits by 20% this year.

Bruised Bank of China comes home

China's most international bank shifts its focus back home to recover losses from earlier subprime exposure.

Disintermediation driving bank profits

China's big state banks are moving away from plain vanilla lending to grow profits.

Sovereign wealth

China Investment Corporation recently reported its financial results for the first time, noting net profits of $23.1bn in 2008, despite a poor performance overseas.

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12 Jan 2012

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China Confidential Funds, a new research service launched by FT China Confidential, is dedicated to illuminating the mainland fund industry. Our team of fund industry experts in Shanghai search out the interesting trends in fund performance, strategy, interactions with overseas funds, regulatory changes, distribution and management. We also use a proprietary system to track the emerging flows of Chinese money. Click here to find out more.

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