This has been a good year for U.S. equities in general, obviously, but also for bank stocks.

Just the fact that bank stocks, on the whole, have performed well deserves note. Yes, we are still in an accommodating interest rate environment, but the banking sector has screwed up such beneficence in the past.

Not in 2014. The KBW Bank Index is up 10.14% year-to-date. That’s not beyond the S&P, but it is still a double-digit increase. Yes, the 2014 increase pales in comparison to what the industry saw in 2013, but 2013 was the year when easy monetary policy paid its dividends in full.

We don’t get into bank stock speculation, but it is worth nothing that of the Big 5 banks — Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America — Wells Fargo’s stock has had the largest run-up. Over the last year, WFC is up 25.61%, trading today at 10:15 am ET at $55.42 per share.

Is there a connection between WFC stock performance and what we consider the bank’s leading innovation strategy? We won’t speculate on that either, although we will point out that the next highest stock growth rate belongs to US Bancorp (+15.46%), and USB is, in our opinion, a close second to Wells in banking innovation. Connection? We’ll let you decide.

* * *

Please allow all of us here at Bank Innovation to wish you and your family a happy holiday season. Thank you for being a part of the Bank Innovation community.