Bank stocks got a bit lift Friday, as the passage of the budget bill by the Senate helped push up Treasury yields. The bill’s passage is seen as paving the way for President Trump’s proposed tax cuts, could lift longer-term interest rates by boosting economic growth and increasing the deficit, which would increase Treasury supply. The SPDR Financial Select Sector ETF rallied 1.0% in premarket trade, putting it on track to open at the highest price seen during regular session hours since Nov. 1, 2007. Among the ETF’s most-heavily weighted components, shares of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. climbed 1.2%, Bank of America Corp. surged 1.8%, Citigroup Inc. rallied 1.3%, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. gained 1.3% and Wells Fargo & Co. tacked on 1.0%. Higher long-term yields can help goose bank profits, as it would increase the interest rate spread between longer-term assets, like loans, and shorter-term liabilities to fund those assets.
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