Buoyant mgmt outlook, rising share of retail loans bode well for ICICI Bank

Q2 Net NPA at 1% is the best since FY16; margin for error on asset quality may be very limited

ICICI Bank’s management commentary following the September quarter (Q2) results carried a tone of optimism. Whether the confidence came from the bank’s better-than-expected collection trends or from an increasing pie of retail loans which strengthened to 66 per cent, up 400 basis points (bps) year-on-year or net non-performing assets (NPA) ratio cooling off to a 5-year best at 1 per cent, it has helped renew investors’ optimism on the stock, with gains of over six per cent on Monday’s trade.

The conviction that Rs 8,770 crore (1.3 per cent of total book) already provided against Covid-led pain is adequate and