By Steve Goldstein
NatWest was the worst-performing U.K. blue chip on Friday as investors focused on falling net interest margin even as profitability surged.
Falling back from 20-month highs, NatWest (NWG.LN)fell 4% as it said its third-quarter profit jumped to GBP674 million from GBP61 million, helped a GBP242 million impairment release as well as a 14% rise in income.
But its net interest margin, excluding the markets division, fell to 1.54% from 1.65%.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said NatWest shares are trading at one of their lowest discounts to their tangible net asset value in some time. "This perhaps explains why investors are being a little less forgiving when they study the third-quarter results," he said.
Rivals Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group each rose about 2%.
The broader FTSE 100 eased 0.3% in midday trade, though it's up over 1% on the last week and 4% on the month.
-Steve Goldstein