Wall Street trading desks had a horror-show fourth quarter that dragged on bank results. But investors in big-bank stocks focused instead on gains in lending businesses and improving sentiment around the US economy.

The result: last week, bank stocks posted their strongest five-day gains in more than two years. The KBW Nasdaq Bank index rallied 7.7%, the best one-week rise since the 2016 presidential election. That has erased a big chunk of steep losses suffered amid fourth-quarter market tumult.