Lionel Laurent, Columnist

Barclays Tries to Outrun an Economic Slowdown

Barclays is promising buybacks just as Brexit looms, impairments rise and the investment bank stutters.

Jes Staley.

Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
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Barclays Plc Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley clearly thinks his bank's shares are too cheap. But the British lender’s latest results make arguing that case no slam dunk.

Compared with struggling rivals like Deutsche Bank AG, Barclays is clearly doing a better job of generating acceptable shareholder returns. That, and the promise of buybacks, was enough to push Barclays shares up 4 percent in early trading on Thursday. But there are signs of a turn in the economic cycle that should give investors pause.