Fukui Bank, Ltd.

With the upward trend in domestic long-term interest rates continuing, the performance of mid-tier regional bank stocks has been strong, with the structure of expanding interest margins through higher lending rates boosting earnings being valued. Among the 33 sectors on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the banking sector has risen 49.1% since the start of the year, significantly outpacing the TOPIX's 21.9% gain. Among individual stocks, Fukui Bank has risen 2.7 times, Yamagata Bank 2.3 times, and Akita Bank 2.2 times, surpassing the gains of megabanks such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's 47.6% rise and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group's 38.3% rise. On the other hand, lower-tier regional banks, whose profits are squeezed by higher funding costs due to deposit rate hikes, are lagging behind, and selection is progressing. In the market, the view that "bank stocks = buy" has run its course, and it is seen that investors have entered a phase of carefully weighing the pros and cons of rising interest rates.