HSBC reports £13.8bn profits
RAPID growth in Asia and a resilient performance in the UK helped drive profits of £13.8bn at HSBC today.
Profits rose 15 per cent to 21.9bn US dollars, which is among the biggest ever reported by a British company and close to its record of 24 billion US dollars set in 2007.
The banking giant, which makes an estimated 90 per cent of its money outside Britain and has benefited from its exposure to emerging markets in Asia, said UK pre-tax profits rose 17.2 per cent to £1.5bn.