New Query →
This report was generated by AI and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. AI-identified events and simulated trades may be inaccurate or incomplete. Past hypothetical performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research.
Report #LOO1ZW High Conviction Invalid Date

Buy banking stocks when Feds increase rates

Total Return −2.7%
Win Rate
22% 9 Trades
Max Drawdown −3.4%
Events Found
9 1 ticker

Cumulative Equity Curve

Mar 22Jul 22Nov 22Mar 23Jul 23$48,394$49,091$49,788$50,485
Avg Win +2.5%
Avg Loss −2.3%
Hold Period 1 days
Profit Factor 0.32
Final Value $48,638
Data Quality Tier 1
Phase 01 — Analysis

Research Narrative

AI Generated

**AI-generated analysis**

This event describes a rate-hike environment in which investors look for opportunities to buy banking stocks when the Federal Reserve increases interest rates. The basic thesis is that higher rates can widen net interest margins for banks, since banks may reprice loans faster than deposits, potentially boosting earnings. In practice, however, the relationship is not always straightforward because rate hikes can also slow economic growth, increase credit risk, and pressure valuations across the broader market.

The tickers were likely chosen to compare both the broad market and financial-sector exposure. **SPY** represents the overall U.S. equity market and serves as a benchmark for whether the strategy outperforms or simply follows market moves. **XLF** is the financial sector ETF, giving a diversified view of bank and financial stocks. **JPM** and **BAC** are two of the largest U.S. banks, making them useful single-stock examples of how major lenders historically react to Fed tightening cycles.

Historically, the pattern shown here appears weak: across **18 events**, the strategy produced a **total return of -2.72%**. That indicates that buying these banking-related securities around Fed rate increases did not generate positive aggregate performance over the sample. In other words, while the rate-hike rationale is economically intuitive, the observed historical data suggest the trade has not been reliably profitable in this setup.

Thesis Configuration

Buy banking stocks when Feds increase rates

Signal Confirmation Market open on event day
Exit Logic Peak CAR date (Aggressive)
Positioning Long · $12,500 per trade
Time Horizon Mar 2022 – Jul 2023
Tickers SPY, XLF, JPM, BAC
Events Found 18 (High: 17, Medium: 1)
Phase 02 — Data

Asset Breakdown

#DATETICKERDIRENTRY DATEENTRY $EXIT DATEEXIT $DAYSP&L $P&L %vs SPY
12022.03.16SPYLong2022.03.16$405.882022.03.17$415.581+$299+2.4%+0.0%
22022.05.04SPYLong2022.05.04$394.982022.05.05$391.491−$110.652−0.9%+0.0%
32022.06.15SPYLong2022.06.15$357.362022.06.16$346.951−$363.932−2.9%+0.0%
42022.09.21SPYLong2022.09.21$368.772022.09.22$356.761−$406.946−3.3%+0.0%
52022.11.02SPYLong2022.11.02$366.722022.11.03$353.661−$445.179−3.6%+0.0%
62022.12.14SPYLong2022.12.14$383.582022.12.15$371.551−$392.194−3.1%+0.0%
72023.02.01SPYLong2023.02.01$388.702023.02.02$399.061+$333.235+2.7%+0.0%
82023.03.22SPYLong2023.03.22$384.062023.03.23$378.061−$195.349−1.6%+0.0%
92023.07.26SPYLong2023.07.26$439.412023.07.27$436.601−$79.823−0.6%+0.0%
Intelligence Feed / Sources Cited
  • Source A Reuters  ·  "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb inflation | Reuters"  ·  ↗ reuters.com
  • Source B Reuters  ·  "Wall Street closes higher after Fed hikes rates, signals more to come | Reuters"  ·  ↗ reuters.com
  • Source C Reuters  ·  "Major U.S. banks raise base lending rate after Fed's interest rate move | Reuters"  ·  ↗ reuters.com
  • Source D Cdn6  ·  "SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY) - Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates By 0.5% For First Time In More Than 2 Decades | Benzinga"  ·  ↗ cdn6.benzinga.com
  • Source E Cdn3  ·  "SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY) - Will Federal Reserve Raise Interest Rates 0.75% or 1.00%? Here's What Analysts Are Saying Ahead Of Fed Meeting | Benzinga"  ·  ↗ cdn3.benzinga.com
  • Source F Investopedia  ·  "Fed, Focusing on Inflation, Hikes Interest Rate Again Despite Banking Turmoil"  ·  ↗ investopedia.com
  • Source G Investopedia  ·  "Fed Hikes Rates Again, Stocks Slide"  ·  ↗ investopedia.com
  • Source H Stg-aws01pub  ·  "Live updates: Stocks slide as Fed Chair Powell signals intent to continue hiking rates"  ·  ↗ stg-aws01pub.cnbc.com
  • Source I Investopedia  ·  "Fed Downsizes Latest Rate Hike, Remains Hawkish on 2023"  ·  ↗ investopedia.com
  • Source J Cdn1  ·  "SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY), (QQQM) - Fed's 2023 Policy Twists: The Turning Points And Markets Reactions | Benzinga"  ·  ↗ cdn1.benzinga.com
  • Source K Investopedia  ·  "As Fed Pushed Up Rates in the Past 12 Months, the S&P 500 Sank"  ·  ↗ investopedia.com
  • Source L Investing  ·  "How Fed Rate Decisions Affect the US Economy and Stocks"  ·  ↗ investing.com
  • Source M Reuters  ·  "Big U.S. banks raise prime lending rate after Fed's sharp hike"  ·  ↗ reuters.com
  • Source N Upi  ·  "Dow rises 518 points after Federal Reserve announces interest rate hike - UPI.com"  ·  ↗ upi.com
  • Source O Reuters  ·  "Wall Street rallies to close higher after Fed statement | Reuters"  ·  ↗ reuters.com
  • Source P Nbcnews  ·  "Stocks jump after Powell signals Fed will stay tough on inflation, Dow snaps 5-day slide"  ·  ↗ nbcnews.com
  • Source Q Cnbc  ·  "Here's a full recap of the Fed's 0.75 percentage point rate hike and ..."  ·  ↗ cnbc.com

Ready to refine your edge?

Adjust your parameters, tighten your thesis, or explore a new signal.

Run New Thesis →

Set a live alert for this event — Coming Soon. Join the waitlist →

Appendix — Evidence

Historical Event Log

2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, its first hike since 2018, and signaled more increases ahead.

↗ Reuters · "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb i…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-05-04 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.5%, the first half-point hike in more than 20 years.

↗ Cdn6 · "SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY) - Federal Reserve Raises Interest…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-05-04 $394.98
Exit 2022-05-05 $391.49
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −0.9% −$110.652
2022-06-15 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.75% at its June 2022 meeting.

↗ Cdn3 · "SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY) - Will Federal Reserve Raise Inte…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +18.8% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-06-15 $357.36
Exit 2022-06-16 $346.95
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −2.9% −$363.932
2022-09-21 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised rates again in September 2022 during the tightening cycle.

↗ Investopedia · "Fed, Focusing on Inflation, Hikes Interest Rate Again Despit…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-09-21 $368.77
Exit 2022-09-22 $356.76
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −3.3% −$406.946
2022-11-02 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.75%, and markets initially rallied before turning lower.

↗ Investopedia · "Fed Hikes Rates Again, Stocks Slide"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-11-02 $366.72
Exit 2022-11-03 $353.66
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −3.6% −$445.179
2022-12-14 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve slowed to a 0.5% hike, raising the policy rate to 4.25%-4.5%.

↗ Investopedia · "Fed Downsizes Latest Rate Hike, Remains Hawkish on 2023"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-12-14 $383.58
Exit 2022-12-15 $371.55
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −3.1% −$392.194
2023-02-01 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised the policy rate to 4.5%-4.75%.

↗ Cdn1 · "SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY), (QQQM) - Fed's 2023 Policy Twis…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2023-02-01 $388.70
Exit 2023-02-02 $399.06
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.7% +$333.235
2023-03-22 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.25% to 4.75%-5.00% despite banking turmoil.

↗ Investopedia · "Fed, Focusing on Inflation, Hikes Interest Rate Again Despit…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2023-03-22 $384.06
Exit 2023-03-23 $378.06
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −1.6% −$195.349
2023-07-26 · MEDIUM

The Federal Reserve raised rates again in July 2023, completing the final hike of that cycle.

↗ Investing · "How Fed Rate Decisions Affect the US Economy and Stocks"

Duration: 26d · Peak CAR: +0.0% · Mean reversion

Entry 2023-07-26 $439.41
Exit 2023-07-27 $436.60
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −0.6% −$79.823
2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, its first hike since 2018, and signaled more increases ahead.

↗ Reuters · "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb i…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, its first hike since 2018, and signaled more increases ahead.

↗ Reuters · "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb i…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 25 basis points for the first time since 2018; Reuters reported JPMorgan and other major U.S. banks raised their base lending rates the same day and that big-bank shares rose in after-market trading.

↗ Reuters · "Major U.S. banks raise base lending rate after Fed's interes…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-07-27 · HIGH

After the Fed delivered another sharp rate hike, Reuters reported JPMorgan and other big banks raised their prime lending rates to 5.5%.

↗ Reuters · "Big U.S. banks raise prime lending rate after Fed's sharp hi…"

Duration: 15d · Peak CAR: +23.3% · Mean reversion

2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 bps for the first time since 2018, and Reuters reported that Bank of America and other major banks raised their base lending rates in response; UPI also noted BAC climbed 3.11% after the announcement.

↗ Reuters · "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb i…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-06-15 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve delivered a 75 bps rate hike, its biggest since 1994, and Reuters/CNBC coverage said bank stocks rallied after the decision; BAC was part of the banking sector that benefited from the move.

↗ Reuters · "Wall Street rallies to close higher after Fed statement | Re…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +18.8% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-06-15 $357.36
Exit 2022-06-16 $346.95
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −2.9% −$363.932
2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, its first hike since 2018, and signaled more increases ahead.

↗ Reuters · "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb i…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-03-16 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 bps for the first time since 2018, and Reuters reported that Bank of America and other major banks raised their base lending rates in response; UPI also noted BAC climbed 3.11% after the announcement.

↗ Reuters · "Fed hikes interest rates, signals aggressive fight to curb i…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +17.7% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-03-16 $405.88
Exit 2022-03-17 $415.58
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L +2.4% +$299
2022-06-15 · HIGH

The Federal Reserve delivered a 75 bps rate hike, its biggest since 1994, and Reuters/CNBC coverage said bank stocks rallied after the decision; BAC was part of the banking sector that benefited from the move.

↗ Reuters · "Wall Street rallies to close higher after Fed statement | Re…"

Duration: 30d · Peak CAR: +18.8% · Mean reversion

Entry 2022-06-15 $357.36
Exit 2022-06-16 $346.95
Ticker SPY
Direction Long
P&L −2.9% −$363.932
Aslan Finance

AI-powered event-driven backtesting

© 2026 Aslan Finance