Bank ETF Penghua rises 0.37%, institutions say the banking sector's defensive attributes are highlighted

The banking sector is rising against the market trend, highlighting its defensive attributes. On the news front, as the annual reports of listed banks for 2025 are gradually disclosed, the annual dividend plans of 6 state-owned banks and 9 A-share listed joint-stock banks have been officially unveiled, and a total of 15 banks will distribute more than 570 billion yuan in cash red envelopes.

China Securities noted that geopolitical conflicts can increase risk premiums, heighten volatility in equity markets, and strengthen investors’ risk-avoidance sentiment. In this process, high-dividend, low-valuation, defensive sectors are more likely to be favored for allocation, and the dividend value of the banking sector is therefore even more prominent.

As of 14:21 on April 2, 2026, the CSI Bank Index (399986) rose by 0.37%. Constituent stocks including Agricultural Bank of China rose 3.14%, Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank rose 1.27%, Bank of China rose 1.19%, China Construction Bank rose 1.16%, and Huaxia Bank rose 1.08%. The Bank ETF Penghua (512730) rose by 0.37%, with the latest price at 1.65 yuan.

The Bank ETF Penghua tightly tracks the CSI Bank Index. To reflect the overall performance of securities from companies in different industries within the CSI All Share Index sample and provide investors with analytical tools, the CSI All Share Index sample is divided—based on industry classification—into 11 primary industries, 35 secondary industries, over 90 tertiary industries, and more than 200 quaternary industries. Then, by using all securities entering the respective primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary industries as samples, an index is compiled to form the CSI All Share Industry Index.

Data shows that, as of March 31, 2026, the top ten weightings of the CSI Bank Index (399986) are, respectively, China Merchants Bank, Industrial Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of Communications, Jiangsu Bank, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Ping An Bank, Bank of Ningbo, and Shanghai Bank. The combined share of the top ten weightings is 63.79%.