Word: hsbc
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...part of a car-engine plant to produce "green" electrical generators. And if you buy into the great Asian growth story, then there is a chance that spending by wealthier consumers in countries like China and India can offset at least some of the decreased demand in the West. HSBC economist Frederic Neumann said in a September report that some Asian manufacturers have gained back the power to raise prices, implying that the impact of excess capacity in the region might not be as severe as some fear. "What was so scary about the recession were the unprecedented output gaps...
...some ways, HSBC is simply reacting to global trends and economic realities. HSBC's announcement coincided with the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, during which it was decided that the group, which includes developing giants like China and India, would replace the West-dominated G-8 as the top coordinating forum for the world economy. While the U.S. and U.K. struggle to recover from the worst recession since the 1930s, Asia's economies, led by a resurgent China, are emerging from the downturn much more quickly, presenting more enticing business opportunities for HSBC and other global banks. HSBC's decision...
...HSBC, though, is also responding to the realities of its balance sheet. Its forays West have proved to be, at best, a mixed success, especially its business in the U.S. HSBC dove into the U.S. subprime mortgage and consumer credit market, mainly through its 2003 purchase of consumer finance firm Household International. That decision proved disastrous. For the 18 months ending in June, HSBC's U.S. personal-financial-services business posted pretax losses of $20 billion. In March, HSBC announced its consumer-finance operation wouldn't issue any more loans and would begin winding down its business (except for credit...
...Meanwhile, HSBC's Asia businesses continue to thrive. In the first half of 2009, its regional operations notched a pretax profit of $4.5 billion, more than half of it coming from Hong Kong alone. The bank is also continuing to expand in Asia. In China, where HSBC already has the largest branch network of any foreign bank, it is considering an initial public offering of stock on the Shanghai exchange. In May, HSBC completed its acquisition of Bank Ekonomi in Indonesia, almost doubling its number of outlets in that country...
...HSBC isn't completely turning its back on the West. Green, the chairman, will remain in London, as will HSBC's official world headquarters. Yet HSBC's return to Asia is still an important signal of where the bank and the world economy believes it will find new growth. "The self-styled 'world's local bank' is realizing some locales are more important than others," noted an editorial in the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's largest English-language newspaper. "It has taken an extraordinary financial crisis for the bank to see that its future lies where its roots...