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Swiss giant UBS posts $770 million in net profit, launches $1 billion share buyback in first half
UBSUBS(UBS) CNBC· CNBC·2025-02-04 06:01

Group 1: Financial Performance - UBS reported a fourth-quarter net profit of 770million,whichisbelowthemeanforecastof770 million, which is below the mean forecast of 886.4 million from analysts [1] - Group revenue for the period reached 11.635billion,slightlybelowanalystexpectationsof11.635 billion, slightly below analyst expectations of 11.64 billion [1] Group 2: Cost Savings and Restructuring - UBS aims to achieve 7.5billionincostsavingsoutofatotalof7.5 billion in cost savings out of a total of 13 billion by the end of 2023, with CEO indicating that redundancies are "inevitable" [2] - The bank is focusing on voluntary departures as part of its restructuring efforts [2] Group 3: Industry Context - The Swiss banking sector is experiencing broader expense discipline and restructuring, with other banks like Julius Baer and HSBC also announcing cost-saving measures [3] - UBS's balance sheet exceeded $1.7 trillion in 2023, raising concerns about its size relative to the Swiss economy [4] Group 4: Economic Environment - The Swiss economy is facing challenges, including low annual inflation of 0.6% in December and a strong Swiss franc, which has been further strengthened by global market conditions [5]