The Federal Reserve building
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Bank investors might have thought they had reasons to fear a Democrat-controlled government. The prospect of higher taxes and increased regulation implies weaker earnings for the sector.
But historical data collected over nearly 70 years suggests that bank investors not need to worry much about a Biden administration and Democrat-controlled Congress.
Since the Nov. 3 election, bank stocks, as measured by the
KBW Bank Index
(ticker: BKX) have soared 31%, outpacing the 10.6% gain in the
S&P 500
over the same period. Bank stocks also got a boost last week after Democrats Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock prevailed in the Georgia Senate runoffs, giving the party a slim majority in the Senate and control of Congress.