HSBC H1 pre-tax profit falls, dismisses calls for split
HSBC bank on Monday said pre-tax profit fell in the first half, and appeared to rebuff calls to spin off its Asian activities on the eve of a key shareholder meeting. Pre-tax earnings sank 15 percent to US$9.2 billion after it took a $1.1-billion hit on possible credit losses "to reflect heightened economic uncertainty and inflation", HSBC said. The result "reflected a more normalised le