Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Positive" (maintained) [2] Core Insights - Since 2025, banks have shown a new characteristic of using short-term loans to replace bills for credit expansion, with significant seasonal growth in short-term loans [4][14] - The volatility of bill rates has decreased, and there is a notable inversion between short and long-term rates [24][34] - Investment recommendations focus on state-owned banks with controllable retail risks, joint-stock banks with high safety margins, and city and rural commercial banks with strong profit growth potential [7][36] Summary by Sections 1. New Characteristics of Credit Expansion - In 2025, banks have not prominently used bills to boost loans, but short-term loans have seen significant growth, with new additions of 1.44 trillion and 1.16 trillion yuan in March and June, respectively, exceeding historical averages [14][18] - Bill financing saw a notable contraction in June, with a decrease of 4.109 trillion yuan, significantly higher than the three-year average [14][18] 2. Decreased Volatility of Bill Rates - In the first half of 2025, the 6M national stock bill discount rate fluctuated between 0.98% and 1.60%, showing reduced volatility compared to 170 basis points in 2023 and 105 basis points in 2024 [24][29] - The weakening of the credit attribute of bills is attributed to banks preferring short-term loans for credit scale, leading to a lack of significant fluctuations in bill rates [24][29] 3. Investment Recommendations - Recommended stocks include state-owned banks with controllable retail risks, such as China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China [36] - Joint-stock banks with high safety margins and signs of clearing existing risks, such as CITIC Bank and China Merchants Bank, are also recommended [36] - City and rural commercial banks with growth potential and strong provisioning capabilities, including Jiangsu Bank and Hangzhou Bank, are highlighted [36]