CREDIT card issuer American Express Co yesterday warned of a slow recovery in transaction volumes in the near term, after it set aside US$1.6 bil (RM6.82 bil) for potential credit losses that weighed on its quarterly numbers.
The company said its high exposure to travel and entertainment industries (T&E), which have been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to a sharp decline in its overall spending volumes, though some other sectors are looking up.
Overall spending volumes were down 20% in mid-July compared with a 40% decline in April, the company said in a post-earnings call.
“(AmEx is) in a tricky situation because they have a large corporate book and a big T&E book and those are the parts in the world’s economies that are weak, and consequently they are growing slower,” said Susquehanna Financial Group analyst James Friedman.
Consumers and businesses cut their spending on travel and entertainment by 87% in the second quarter, with the overall spending down by more than a third.
The company raised its consolidated loss provisions to US$1.6 bil from US$861 mil a year earlier, in anticipation of a spike in defaults from a wave of layoffs caused by the crisis.
Between leading card issuers JPMorgan Chase & Co and Citigroup, they have set aside about US$18 bil in provisions for potential credit losses.
American Express’ total revenue fell 29.2% to US$7.67 bil, while net income came in at 29 cents per share, down from US$2.07 a year ago.
AmEx shares were down 1.5% yesterday. – July 25, 2020, Reuters
