Friday, December 07, 2012

BARCLAYS: FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Questioning the ‘brilliant’ financial disclosure by Barclays...

Secondly, the increase in loans and advances of $175.99 billion also deserves credit for the growth in balance sheet growth. Worst, the true indicator of real earnings (Economic profit, which excludes opportunity costs) has fallen by a deplorable 23% as compared to the previous year to touch $2.51 billion.

Add to this the fact that even the cost to PBIT and the cost to PAT ratios have increased by 5% and 16% respectively, the issue of operational efficiency also casts a dark shadow upon Barclays’ performance. Thus, the underlying fact is that Barclays’ ‘happy’ revelation is all due to some unusual gains and earnings on certain ‘abnormal’ deals that won’t make their way into its books every year.

Agreeing to the thought, even an analyst at Brand Finance avers, “The bank has been criticised for not ‘marking down’ asset value and the investors are sceptical about banks like Barclays for declaring toxic assets!” Thus it is quite clear that the Barclays’ FY‘08 audited figures do not paint the real picture! Now for the ‘real’ asset – its shares on the NYSE have tumbled by 85.6% since December 31, 2007 to touch just $5.83 as on February 17, 2009; its Mcap falling by 80% during the same interval – all this despite the ‘extraordinary’ result announced?! Talking about the bank’s immediate agenda, an optimistic John Varley, CEO, Barclays explains, “Our immediate objective at Barclays is... manage the impact of the credit crisis...” Yes, we wish you all the best in your endeavours, but seriously Sir, sometimes even strong financials can have little impact on stock fortunes; and as for your shareholders, the ‘positive’ earnings may just have become a matter to mourn over!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

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