Credit Suisse shares slump after top stakeholder rules out further assistance

By Scott Kanowsky 

Investing.com -- Shares in Credit Suisse Group AG (SIX:CSGN) plunged by as much as 30% on Wednesday, touching a fresh all-time low, after the Swiss bank's largest stakeholder announced that it would no longer provide further capital injections.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Saudi National Bank chairman Ammar Al Khudairy said it will "absolutely" not be placing more investments into Credit Suisse Group. Saudi National Bank has a 10% stake in the company.

The lender had previously flagged this week that its auditor had found "material weaknesses" in its financial reporting controls.

The concerns around Credit Suisse had a knock-on effect on its peers across Europe's banking sector. France's Societe Generale (EPA:SOGN) dropped by over 9%, while domestic peer BNP Paribas SA (EPA:BNPP) decreased by more than 8%. ING Groep (AS:INGA) in the Netherlands, Spain's Banco Santander (BME:SAN), as well as German lenders Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (ETR:CBKG), all saw losses of over 5%.

Analysts at Citi noted that Al Khudairy's comment itself may not be enough to explain the size of the drop in the market move. They added that Credit Suisse's credit default swaps are trading at an elevated level, which, although not an immediate problem for the business, may have an impact on customer deposit behavior or the price of any new debt issuance.

At the moment, the cost of insuring Credit Suisse bonds against a possible default are edging closer to a level that can spark major worries among investors.

Source from www.investing.com