Shares in Barclays fell by 5% after its third-quarter profits figures came in below analysts’ expectations. Profits for the period were up by 31% to £1.1bn, giving the bank a profit for the nine months so far of £3.4bn.But its investment banking profits were down from £1bn to £652m, in what the bank said had been a difficult quarter for its markets business. Barclays boss Jes Staley is currently being investigated over claims he tried to uncover the name of a whistleblower.The whistleblower wrote a letter that raised questions about the decision to employ one of Mr Staley’s old colleagues from his JP Morgan days.Barclays has already reprimanded Mr Staley for his conduct, but the matter is still being investigated by financial regulators the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).Muted activityMr Staley is in charge of the UK’s only remaining major international investment bank.Weak profits in investment banking are widespread, as activity in bond markets is muted against a background of abnormally low interest rates, which make it difficult for banks to slice off profits. Barclays, however, said profits growth had been driven by a £932m reduction in operating expenses and its performance had been encouraging.Its UK banking division saw an improvement in profitability and what it said was a “good underlying return” from its consumer, cards and payments business.BlightMr Staley said these results were important as they were the first for many years in which “we have not been in some state of restructuring”.They were also helped by an absence of further provision for payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling.In the first six months of the year, the bank set aside £700m. Its total provisions for PPI stand at £9.1bn.That could spell the end of the PPI scandal that has blighted UK banks’ reputation and results.The bank also confirmed it was setting up a separate UK banking division to keep its day-to-day banking operations apart from the riskier investment banking, as required by new rules brought in to stop a repeat of last decade’s credit crisis.
Source: BBC News