Rising interest rates should be good for bank (XLF) income statements

NG_NM

Rising interest rates should be good for bank (XLF) income statements, but maybe bad for bank balance sheets, opines Fitch. Higher long rates mean wider margins which is good for earnings, but securities backing bank capital levels have large unrealized gains attached - gains which could disappear and turn into losses as rates rise. Basel III rules, of course, have yet to be finalized so the ultimate impact is not yet clear.