(Bloomberg) -- An index of big US bank stocks extended a rally for the ninth straight day on Wednesday, putting it on track to match the longest winning streak on record.
The KBW Bank Index jumped as much as 1.2% on Wednesday morning. If the gauge holds onto the gains, the nine-day stretch will match the best runs on record, most recently in 2006, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were both down on Wednesday.
The bank benchmark is up almost 10% during the current runup, more than the broader market. Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Inc, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp have all risen by double digits. The rise puts the group on track to enter positive territory for the year.
Markets gripped by anxiety about the economic and inflationary impacts of an all-out trade war have had some relief in recent days, in part due to signs that the coming wave of US tariffs may be more targeted than President Donald Trump has occasionally threatened. Financial firms have also benefited from Trump’s push to deregulate the sector.
Still, banks along with the broader US stock markets are far from the highs seen in February. Since then the bank index fell well below levels reached during the rally that followed Trump’s election. Investors are now turning their attention to quarterly bank earnings in April.