Report
Daniel Tabbush
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HDFC Bank - Surging credit costs may surprise some, but this may accelerate further

There is no major bank in Asia-Pacific that is growing loan as fast as HDFC Bank. Over the past two years, from FY16 to FY18, the bank expanded its gross loans from INR4,873 billion to INR7,000 billion. This 44% growth comes during a time of unprecedented weakness in the domestic economy, as evidenced by India’s banks having the highest non-performing loan (NPLs) ratios in the region. Average NPL ratios were 9.9% as at calendar year-end 2017 for India’s banks compared with 1-3% for others in Asia-Pacific. This does not include restructured loans, which as at the most recent fiscal year-end averaged 5.5% of loans. Where any bank puts on considerably more loans at a time when bad loans and restructured loans are moving to high levels, bad loan formation can be exceptional. Perhaps this is one reason that HDFC Bank is now showing some of the greatest rise in new non-performing assets (NPA) of any bank in India?  Its impairment costs are now soaring, and this may just be the beginning.  

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Tabbush Report
Tabbush Report

We provide research and consultancy on Asian banks. Our focus is on what we call “Asian bank research, without the noise.” We are interested in the most critical swing-factors for banks, the NPL and credit cycle, and where we believe there is a gap between perception and reality. We often focus on the less studied components of bank financial statements. Our research is highly thematic, sometimes examining unlisted banks and companies as a window on mainstream banks. ​

Being independent allows us to look at smaller banks, often overlooked by others. Analysis of BIS bank guidelines in the context of Asia, is also a focal point, while we also analyze global banks operating in the region. We use what we believe is the most comprehensive, reliable financials database, SNL Financial. S&P Capital IQ augments our database, with corporate data and CEIC, with economics.

Daniel Tabbush has been highly ranked by Asiamoney, Bloomberg and The Asset for his Asian bank analysis, which began more than 20 years ago, and making him the longest standing Head of Asian Bank research in Asia. Tabbush made his name analyzing banks in Thailand, highlighting bad loan risks for Thai banks before and after the Thai Financial Crisis of 1997.

He is known for extolling the unusual positives of Japan’s mega banks in 2005, and the risks likely to hit HSBC from its U.S. subprime loan operations, in 2006. More recently, when most were concerned with nearly all Western banks in late 2008, Tabbush highlighted the positive outlook for Standard Chartered Bank at that time.

He was Head of Asian Bank research for 10 years at the top rated CLSA, overseeing 10 analysts in Asia and coverage of approximately 80 banks. In this role, he spearheaded bank coverage in Japan and Australia. Tabbush was also responsible for research of HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank. Prior to this role, he was the Managing Director of CLSA Securities (Thailand) and its Head of Research. Daniel began his stock-broking career in Thailand in 1993 at Swiss Bank Corp, where his focus was on Thai Banks, after which he joined CLSA in 1996. Daniel grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from University of California, San Diego in Economics, cum laude and with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He lives with his wife and kids in Bangkok and he enjoys running, cooking and playing chess.

Since leaving the stock broking industry in 2012, he has run his Tabbush Report research and consultancy business.


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