ICBC Profit Rises Most Since '14 Before `Challenging' Period

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. posted its fastest profit growth since September 2014 as margins and asset quality improved, but flagged challenging times ahead as the trade war with the U.S. intensifies. Net income at the world’s largest lender by assets rose 5.8 percent to 81.6 billion yuan ($11.9 billion) in the quarter ended June from a year earlier, according to an exchange filing Thursday, broadly in line with estimates. China’s five biggest banks have all reported profit growth of at least 5 percent for the latest quarter, and escaped the surge in bad loans that swamped smaller lenders.