【The US Bank Stock Index is Expected to Set a Historic Closing Record】Golden Finance reports that as investors speculate that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next month, the US Bank Stock Index may achieve its first record closing since January 2022. The KBW Bank Index, which tracks the 24 largest banks in the US, surged by 3% at one point and is poised to set a historical closing record. This will end a period of more than 900 trading days of stagnation, the longest since the financial crisis when the index failed to reach a new high for over 3,500 trading days. As Powell cautiously opens the door for a rate cut in September, bank stocks also joined a broader market rebound on Friday. Overall, thanks to volatility in the stock, bond, and foreign exchange markets, major Wall Street banks reported solid earnings in the second quarter. All banks that underwent the Federal Reserve's annual stress test passed with ease, allowing them to increase dividends to levels above market expectations. The rise in bank stocks this year has also been driven by market expectations that a more lenient regulatory environment under the Trump administration will stimulate corporate merger activity, thereby boosting investment banking revenue.