Wall Street strategists are rallying around bank stocks as the best investment option heading into 2025. This optimism is fueled by several key factors: a strong U.S. economy, expectations of deregulation under President Donald Trump, competitive valuations, and low interest rates.

Investment teams from major firms such as Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, UBS, Barclays, Societe Generale and JPMorgan Chase have advised prioritizing stocks and shares for the coming year.

Prominent analysts such as Savita Subramanian of Bank of America, Brian Belsky of BMO, and Chris Harvey of Wells Fargo are among those emphasizing the appeal of financial stocks.

In a recent note to clients, Harvey highlighted the sector’s undervaluation and urged money managers to shift their focus to financial stocks. Similarly, Belsky’s 2025 outlook reiterates that the financial sector remains “largely unloved” despite expectations for earnings growth and pricing.

US stocks lead global markets

Wall Street analysts generally agree that the preference for large U.S. companies remains strong. The S&P 500 is on track to post a phenomenal total return of more than 25% for the second year in a row, a feat economists say is rare.

Wall Street's 2025 Stock Predictions https://t.co/C1UoOm274Spic.twitter.com/uH6Of7zMux

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Some analysts have acknowledged the opportunities abroad, but most view the U.S. market as the cornerstone of growth, especially as leadership shifts away from big tech companies toward sectors like financials and utilities.

U.S. stocks now account for more than half of the global stock market’s value, their highest share since late 2001. The increased market activity is being driven by superior earnings growth among the largest U.S. companies, according to FactSet data.

The earnings outlook remains strong, with big tech companies still leading growth while other sectors are slowly gaining traction, noted Venu Krishna, chief U.S. equity strategist at Barclays. The tax cuts and deregulation measures proposed by the Trump administration could boost corporate earnings and economic expansion by boosting defi spending.

Economists: US stocks witness huge capital inflows

JPMorgan’s global strategy group, led by Dubravko Lakos-Bojas, expects these sectors to benefit from the influx of capital. His sentiment was echoed by Alex Blaustein, a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs, who noted that roughly $7 trillion parked in money market funds is starting to flow into the market, starting with fixed income and possibly moving into equities.

Confidence in financial data isn’t limited to analysts. Senior banking executives have expressed similar sentiments, predicting that tron ​​will be a game changer for the sector. At an investment conference last month, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan expressed confidence in the U.S. economy under the Trump administration and predicted swift policy action.

That optimism was echoed by executives at JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs at Goldman’s financial services conference. Dennis Coleman, Goldman Sachs’ CFO, pointed to “high levels of optimism” through 2025, while Marianne Lake, JPMorgan’s chief executive of consumer and community banking, predicted higher investment banking fees fueled by an increase in strategic transactions.

Meanwhile, Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, believes Bitcoin (BTC) will hit $250,000 by the end of 2025. Lee has cemented his reputation for accurate market predictions, successfully forecasting the S&P 500 to rise 24% in 2023 and climb to 6,000 points in 2024.

Lee was bullish on Bitcoin, predicting that it would top $100,000 this year, a prediction that has come true. His investment thesis revolves around the growing demand for Bitcoin due to spot ETFs, declining supply following the halving, and favorable interest rate trends.

Despite his optimism, Lee warned of potential volatility in early 2025, with Bitcoin prices likely to fall to $60,000 before rebounding to $250,000 by the end of the year. He advised investors to take Bitcoin with a grain of salt, noting that its annual gains often occur in a short 10-day period.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Dennis Gartman expressed his surprise at Bitcoin’s recent surge past $100,000, likening the cryptocurrency’s rise to historical speculative bubbles. The chairman of the University of Akron’s investment committee drew parallels between the tulip mania in 16th-century Holland and the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.

“It reminds me a lot of the tulip craze and high-tech craze of the late 20th century,” Gartman said. “I’ll leave it to others to buy; I’ll avoid it.”

Gartman also took issue with Bitcoin's reputation as "digital gold," arguing that the cryptocurrency's limited track record undercuts the long-term value of gold as an asset.

“Bitcoin has been at a certain price for months. Gold has centuries of value as an asset,” he said. “I’ll take a bet of centuries over a bet of months almost anytime.”

Despite his doubts, Gartman made it clear that he has no intention of selling Bitcoin. “I will leave that to people who are wiser or bolder than me,” he added.