HONG KONG (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - HSBC Holdings' first-quarter profit nearly halved from a year-ago, missing estimates, after boosting provisions against bad loans as the coronavirus pandemic hits borrowers worldwide. Europe's biggest bank by assets said profit before tax came in at US$3.21 billion (S$4.56 billion) for January-March, down from US$6.21 billion a year ago and below an average analyst forecast of US$3.67 billion compiled by the bank. The bank increased its expected credit impairment charges by a hefty US$2.4 billion to US$3 billion due to the im...