Guosen Securities(SZ:002736) Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-10-10 02:25Core Insights - The report from Guosen Securities analyzes the performance of 154 banks across 17 global markets from 2015 to 2025, highlighting the core investment logic in the banking sector and suggesting that Chinese banks are undervalued with significant potential for valuation recovery [1][2][6]. Global Banking Index Performance - Economic fundamentals are the primary drivers of banking index performance, with Indian and US banking indices leading with cumulative gains of 196% and 147% respectively from early 2015 to September 2025, benefiting from strong economic growth [1][2]. - Japanese and European banking indices, which were sluggish from 2015 to 2019, rebounded post-2021 due to the exit from zero/negative interest rates and economic recovery, achieving cumulative gains of 140% and 60% respectively [1][2]. - The Korean banking index has historically been below 0.5x price-to-book (PB) ratio, expected to recover to 0.65x by the end of 2024 after interest rate cuts [1][2]. - The Shenyin Wanguo banking index has only seen an 18% increase, with a PB ratio of 0.53x, reflecting pessimistic market expectations due to pressures from economic structural transformation in China [1][2]. Individual Bank Performance - Over 60% of the sampled banks outperformed their domestic market indices, with one-third surpassing the S&P 500 index. Notably, banks in high-growth regions like Vietnam saw stock price increases between 531% and 584% [2][6]. - Major US banks, such as JPMorgan Chase, experienced a 574% increase, while specialized banks like First Citizens Bank rose by 668% [2][6]. - In China, only two banks, China Merchants Bank and Ningbo Bank, outperformed the S&P 500, with increases of 277% and 252% respectively, indicating significant individual stock differentiation [2][6]. Valuation Insights - Chinese banks are globally undervalued, with an average PB ratio of 0.52x compared to 1.29x for 240 global banks. This is lower than South Korea (0.55x), Japan (0.82x), and the US (1.38x) [2][6]. - The disparity between PB ratios and return on equity (ROE) for Chinese banks suggests market pessimism regarding future ROE expectations. For instance, China Merchants Bank has an ROE of 14.95% with a PB of 0.97x, while JPMorgan Chase has an ROE of 18.19% with a PB of 2.57x [2][6]. Economic Resilience and Future Outlook - Despite recent economic pressures, China's economy is expected to demonstrate medium to long-term resilience, supported by innovation, industrial upgrades, urbanization, consumption, and regional development [2][6]. - The report emphasizes the potential for significant valuation recovery in Chinese banks, driven by structural economic improvements and a more optimistic outlook for the banking sector [2][6].