Two bank headlines: UOB’s profit up 182% on a year earlier and DBS’s down 5%. Iggy and Angela use a bus captain’s made-up pay slip to show why a starting point, a window and a lumpy line can change a headline. Overview only, from each bank’s own presentation.
You see UOB up 182% and DBS down 5%, and it sounds like one bank had a terrible quarter while the other had a miracle. In this episode, Angela and I use a bus captain’s made-up pay slip to show why the starting point, comparison window, and lumpy income lines can change the story. We stay with each bank’s own results presentation and leave dividends, capital, and bad loans out deliberately. The aim is not to rank the banks, but to give you a simple way to read any results headline.
Key takeaways:
DBS reported third-quarter net profit of S$2.81 billion, down 5% year on year and 9% quarter on quarter.
UOB reported S$1.25 billion, up 182% from a year earlier but down 15% from the second quarter.
UOB’s prior-year quarter included S$1.361 billion in credit provisions, against S$258 million this quarter.
DBS recorded S$5.69 billion in commercial-book income, up 4%, while markets trading income fell 65%.
Check the window, the starting point, and whether income is steady or lumpy.
Iggy’s Forensic Disclaimer
This content is produced for educational and informational purposes only. I am not a financial advisor. I am a retail investor who applies forensic analysis to my own portfolio and shares that process publicly. Nothing here constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security, and no specific target prices or personalised financial advice are offered.
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