银行行业月报：低基数效应主导，关注需求端变化

Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Outperform the Market" with an expected relative increase of over 10% in the industry index compared to the broader market within the next six months [23]. Core Insights - In April, the social financing (社融) stock growth rate reached 8.7%, with a month-on-month increase of 0.3%. The new social financing amounted to 1.16 trillion yuan, significantly boosted by a low base effect and government bond issuance [2][10]. - The net financing scale of government bonds in April was 972.9 billion yuan, leading to a year-on-year increase of 1.07 trillion yuan due to the previous year's negative net financing [10]. - The total social financing stock reached 424 trillion yuan by the end of April, supported by the continuous issuance of government bonds [10]. - The M2 money supply grew by 8% year-on-year, with a month-on-month increase of 1% [19]. Summary by Sections Social Financing - The social financing stock growth rate in April was 8.7%, with a month-on-month increase of 0.3%. The new social financing was 1.16 trillion yuan, primarily driven by policy factors and government bond issuance [2][10]. - The net financing of government bonds for the first four months of 2025 reached 4.85 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.58 trillion yuan [2]. Corporate Financing - In April, new RMB loans amounted to 280 billion yuan, a significant decrease compared to 730 billion yuan in April 2024. The RMB loan balance was 265.7 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 7.2% [3][14]. - The corporate financing situation showed a slight year-on-year increase, with the average interest rate on new corporate loans indicating a relatively ample credit supply [15]. Investment Strategy - The report suggests that due to the low base effect and active fiscal policies, social financing and M2 growth rates are expected to continue rising. The focus should be on the progress of fiscal spending and the recovery of household demand [4][20]. - Following recent monetary policy adjustments, a potential reduction in deposit rates is anticipated to alleviate pressure on bank interest margins [4][20]. - The current dividend yield in the banking sector remains attractive, indicating a defensive characteristic in the short term [4][20].