Singapore banks fall ahead of earnings release; OCBC leads bank losses as STI slides 1.4%

On Monday morning, shares of Singapore's three local banks dipped lower before their earnings releases this week. Among them, OCBC experienced the steepest drop, falling 3.7% to S$28.22 as of 11:43 am. DBS and UOB also saw declines of 2.5% and 2.2% respectively, reaching S$71.31 and S$40.48. However, OCBC's share price recovered slightly to S$28.26 by noon.

Meanwhile, DBS and UOB pared some of their losses, settling at S$71.41 and S$40.53 respectively. The decline in bank shares dragged down the Straits Times Index (STI), which ended the day down 1.4% or 72.9 points at 5,303.84. The banking sector's woes are set to continue as the three banks are set to report their Q3 earnings over the next few days.

Analysts had cautioned that wealth management fees at Singapore banks may ease in the third quarter following strong performances in the preceding three months, despite ongoing concerns over net interest margins. Investors are also expected to closely examine the banks' exposure to AI-related financing and the impact of rising bond yields on their investment portfolios and capital positions.

However, analysts remain confident in the banks' resilient underlying asset quality and capital positions.