News about HSBC

HSBC Mutual Fund said foreign outflows and rising global bond yields are likely to remain key headwinds for Indian markets, while corporate earnings growth is expected to drive equity returns in the near term. The Nifty 50 fell 6 per cent in September, with the Nifty Midcap 150 down 7.1 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 250 down 3.1 per cent; IT and auto were the worst-performing sectors, falling 11 per cent and 9 per cent. Foreign institutional investors pulled USD 4.1 billion in September, taking their 2026 net selling to USD 28.3 billion, while domestic institutions bought a net USD 8.1 billion. The RBI raised its repo rate to 5.50 per cent on October 7, and HSBC expects a further rise to 6 per cent if inflation worsens or global rates stay elevated. The Nifty 50 trades at 17 times one-year forward earnings, about 13 per cent below its five-year average valuation.

NatWest has cut some fixed-rate mortgage deals, including a two-year fix at 5.04% and a five-year fix at 4.98%, while HSBC, which currently offers a 5.01% two-year and 5.03% five-year fix, looks set to start offering sub-5% fixes. NatWest's largest reductions, up to 0.17 percentage points, are on five-year remortgage deals at 85% and 90% LTV, and HSBC has cut across its purchase and remortgage ranges from 60% to 90% LTV. Industry commentators said the cuts reflect lenders competing for business rather than cheaper funding, as five-year swap rates rose from 4.619% to 4.723% over the past month. Other lenders could come under pressure to review their own pricing.