Do Markets Know More? : India’s Banking Sector through the Lens of PBR

This article is an enquiry into the determinants of price-to-book ratio (PBR) of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) in India. Our empirical analysis indicates that variations in PBR have linkages with financial and economic cycles. It also captures the ‘franchise value’ of banks and shares a close correlation with indicators relating to profitability and viability of banks. This article, therefore, suggests that PBR may be considered as an alternative measure of bank value