Broker snap: Hold on to Lloyds, Charles Stanley advises

There was a rush to buy Lloyds Banking Group shares on Friday after the bank's chief executive officer, Eric Daniels, held out hope of a return to profitability in 2010, but Charles Stanley is refusing to get caught up in the euphoria.The broker is sticking with its 'hold' recommendation, having in the recent past been negative about the prospects for the group, especially in view of the 'significant amount of wholesale funding that matures in the next couple of years that will potentially put the margin under strain.'Analyst Nic Clarke still has concerns about 'the impact on bad debts if the UK economy does go back into recession,' but concedes that there are clear underlying improving trends that justify holding the shares.