HSBC has been expanding in the US and Mexico

The world's second biggest bank said its performance had been "resilient" in the three months to 30 September.

HSBC, which has offices in 79 countries, added that business had also improved in Hong Kong, hit earlier this year by the deadly SARS virus.

The group described revenue trends as "encouraging," helped in part by strong growth in personal lending in the US.

Consumer finance

HSBC's upbeat trading statement follows positive reports from rivals Royal Bank of Scotland and Alliance & Leicester on Monday.

Some of HSBC's personal lending growth in the US was generated by Household, the consumer finance operation it acquired earlier this year for �8.3bn earlier this year - the bank's biggest-ever acquisition.

The unit, which provides �57.7bn ($100 bn) in loans to customers on low incomes, recently helped HSBC's half-year profits to rise 26% to �4.2bn ($6.8 bn).

Investors are looking to see whether the London-based bank's move into riskier lending will pay off.

'Positive statement'

The bank is expanding the business, starting in Mexico where last year it bought Bital, the country's fifth-biggest bank.

On Tuesday HSBC said cost and revenue benefits from buying Bital and Household were "at or better than expectations in most areas".

"It's a reasonably positive statement, as have been those we have had from Barclays and Royal Bank," said Richard Pierson, at Framlington Investment Management.