Bank lending to rise in August: report

Bank loans in August will rise after falling to US$52 billion in July, Reuters reported, citing a report in the China Securities Journal. The official paper cited an unnamed source as saying August bank loans would hit US$73 billion. However, gradual lending curbs by individual banks and potential tightening of bank credit would reduce loan growth in the second half, the report said. While higher than lending in July, the figure forecast for August is far lower than the US$223.95 billion in new loans in June. Bank lending in the first half reached US$1.1 trillion.