Financials have been one of the best performing sectors in the S&P 500 this year. Looking specifically at the big banks out there, one can see that many of them have done quite well with some exceeding expectations and one name in particular that’s struggling to catch up to their peers.
The Financials SPDR ETF (XLF) is up +22.2% year-to-date and while that's an excellent return by any investor's standards, buying individual names pays off in the long run with the likes of Bank of America (BAC) and Goldman Sachs (GS) up +66.4% and +55.5%, respectively. The biggest loser of the bunch is Morgan Stanley (MS), whose +15.4% year-to-date performance doesn’t hold a candle the broader market or other banks.
