Changjiang Securities·2025-05-26 15:36Investment Rating - The investment rating for the banking industry is "Positive" and maintained [10] Core Insights - The Yangtze Bank Index increased by 0.6% this week, outperforming the CSI 300 Index by 0.8% and the ChiNext Index by 1.5%. The market's focus on bank stocks has notably increased due to the logic of active fund allocation [2][6] - Following a 10 basis point (BP) reduction in the Loan Prime Rate (LPR) in May, major banks initiated a new round of deposit rate cuts. The interest rate for demand deposits decreased by 5 BP to 0.05%, while the rates for one-year, three-year, and five-year fixed deposits were reduced by 15 BP, 25 BP, and 25 BP respectively, with the one-year fixed deposit rate falling below 1.0% to 0.95% [7][26] - The recent deposit rate cuts are expected to effectively offset the impact of the LPR reduction, leading to a narrowing of the decline in net interest margins (NIM) in the future [8][30] Summary by Sections Market Performance - The Yangtze Bank Index's performance this week shows a cumulative increase of 0.6%, with significant contributions from city commercial banks like Qingdao Bank, which reported a revenue growth rate that exceeded expectations [6][17] - The average dividend yield for the five major state-owned banks in A-shares is 4.49%, with a 277 BP spread over the 10-year government bond yield, while the H-shares yield is even higher at 5.75% [19][24] Deposit Rate Cuts - The recent round of deposit rate cuts is the seventh since 2022, aimed at alleviating the pressure on banks' net interest margins. The current NIM for state-owned banks has reached a new low of 1.33% [7][28] - The report anticipates that the deposit rates will continue to have downward space, but due to the significant cuts already made, no further reductions are expected before the end of 2025 [26][30] Impact on Net Interest Margin - The deposit rate cuts are expected to provide a positive contribution to the banks' NIM, with estimates suggesting an average positive impact of 5 BP from the recent rate adjustments [30][31] - The banks with a higher proportion of fixed deposits and lower mortgage ratios are expected to benefit more from the recent rate cuts [31] Convertible Bonds and Valuation Opportunities - There is a growing market interest in convertible bonds issued by banks, particularly those like Hangzhou Bank, which are expected to see valuation recovery as they exceed forced redemption prices [34][35] - Other banks such as Nanjing Bank and Qilu Bank are also highlighted for their potential valuation recovery as they approach their respective conversion prices [34]