The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition as oil prices sink, there has been an increased focus on the impact on the banks and the prospect of them losing their lustre as a relative "safe haven." The Post's Barbara Shecter, writing in Trading Desk, says despite the gloom, analysts at Barclays Bank PLC think there is "more bark than bite" to oil concerns. In fact, they predict dividend hikes remain on the horizon at some of the country's biggest lenders.
Barclays analyst John Aiken in a note on Tuesday pegged TD Bank as the "early favorite" to raise the dividend in 2015, with Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Nova Scotia also potentially also in the mix.
Still, Mr. Aiken told clients not everything is rosy for the banks, and he sees growth declining in 2015 to the mid-single digits.
Weakness in oil prices is bound to have an impact on earnings, but the analyst concludes that modest exposure and credit risk management at the banks will make potential losses manageable.
Cooling domestic housing market and consumer deleveraging will dent personal loan growth, Mr. Aiken added.
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