Group 1 - Major banks and lenders globally have shown strong performance, with Goldman Sachs achieving a record stock-trading revenue of $4.3 billion in Q2, Citigroup's net income rising 25% year-over-year, and JPMorgan Chase exceeding earnings expectations due to increased IPO and M&A activity [3] - Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking large bank equities have significantly outperformed broad market indices, with some funds up nearly 50% year-to-date, and this positive momentum is expected to continue into the next year [2][6] - European banks have particularly excelled this year, driven by strong loan demand and supportive policies in key markets like Germany, which have increased spending on infrastructure and defense [4] Group 2 - The iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF (EUFN) has increased over 48% this year, attracting nearly $1.6 billion in inflows, marking its first outperformance against the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) in five years [6] - The Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF (GSIB) has risen approximately 45% with inflows of nearly $14 million, with European banks being the top contributors to year-to-date returns [6] - In contrast, regional banks have not performed as well, with the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) lagging behind the S&P 500 and experiencing outflows of nearly $1.2 billion this year [4]