Japan Banks to Hit Profit Goals as Stimulus Curtails Bad Loans

  • Credit costs are likely to stay within targets, analysts say
  • MUFG, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui report earnings this week
Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg
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Japan’s three biggest banks are likely to stay on course toward achieving their annual profit goals as bad-loan costs remain in check, analysts said ahead of fiscal second-quarter results due this week.

Massive government and central bank aid has spurred lending and kept companies afloat during the pandemic-fueled recession, reducing the need to ramp up provisions. Investment banking has been picking up, helping to alleviate the impact of rock-bottom interest rates that are squeezing lending profitability at home and abroad.