“Canadian bank capital structure and management is typically, historically – and remains – conservative. Banks are cash flow and balance sheet machines,” Brian Belski, chief investment strategist at BMO Capital Markets, said in an interview.
He believes that sentiment toward the stocks is at extremely low levels, rivalling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The largest financial exchange-traded funds have experienced net outflows over the past two weeks, offering evidence that banks are unpopular with investors and already reflecting a lot of bad news.
And this week, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, the banking regulator, announced that it is– the capital that banks must hold as protection against an economic downturn. Analysts expect the increase will weigh on bank profitability. The best bets, according to Mr. Belski: Focus on banks with diversified balance sheets and strong U.S. platforms.