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Reviews of the latest earnings season for Canadian banks have been a mixed bag, with high expectations making beats tougher to come by for the Big Five.

Bank of Nova Scotia, Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank andCanadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had all reported their most recent results by Thursday.

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The sixth-largest bank in Canada, National Bank of Canada, reported earnings Friday, recording a 71 per cent increase in quarterly net income, to a better-than-expected $525 million.

Bank of Montreal is due to report results on Dec. 5, and it is expected to post earnings per share of $2, according to National Bank Financial. National noted that BMO’s results would be the first under the watch of new chief executive Darryl White, allowing for some insight into his strategic plans for the bank.

On the whole banks have performed so well this past year compared to other sectors that they’ve created a tough act to follow. As of Thursday’s close, the S&P/TSX Composite Index was up five per cent for the year, but it had been outpaced by the the S&P/TSX Capped Financial Index, which is up nine per cent.