With a year-to-date (YTD) gain of 15%, Citigroup (C) is the best-performing major bank stock this year. The stock’s outperformance is not a 2026 thing; with gains of nearly 66% last year, it outperformed the broader markets and large bank peers by a good margin. The stock is up 87% over the last five years, while the Invesco KBW Bank ETF (KBWB) is up around 33%. Citi’s outperformance over the period could be attributable to the turnaround that CEO Jane Fraser has been leading since she took over the baton in March 2021. While “corporate turnarounds” is a much-abused term, Citi’s turnaround efforts are quite visible in its financials.
