Standard Chartered came under pressure recently on worries about its loan book.
The Asia-focused bank was hit by reports that Carson Block of China specialist Muddy Waters had shorted its debt because he was concerned about loan quality, which he said could come under stress when the Chinese economy slowed down.
But the bank's chief executive Peter Sands said its appetite for lending had not changed and its loan book was in good condition. As reported by Reuters, he told reporters in Jakarta:
We're very comfortable with the quality of the book. We're always scrutinising every aspect of the book. That's what we do as a risk manager. But there's no change in risk appetite.
In a falling market, the bank's shares are down 2p at £15.37.
A bigger fall comes at HSBC as the bank holds its annual meeting. It is down 13.2p at 728.6p, partly on concerns about a China slowdown as evidenced by Thursday's disappointing manufacturing survey and partly following a report here that its settlement with the US over money-laundering could be rejected.
