BREAKINGVIEWS — European banks inch towards high — rate cliff edge

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.) By Liam Proud LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) — The region’s 20 biggest lenders, from BNP to Lloyds, fell 7% since early August. Investors may fear that high rates have passed the sweet spot, meaning loan losses and slower growth. Yet returns are still chunky, and bad debt is unlikely to rise enough to spoil the party. Full view will be published shortly. Follow Liam Proud on Bluesky and LinkedIn. Context News Shares in the 20 biggest Europe-focused banks, judged by total assets, have on average dropped 7% since the start of August. The wider STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 2% over the same period. (Editing by Neil Unmack; Production by Oliver Taslic) ((For previous columns by the author, Reuters customers can click on PROUD/ liam.proud@thomsonreuters.com)