New York, January 26, 2026, 14:28 EST — Regular session
Citigroup shares climbed $1.44, or 1.3%, to $115.03 in Monday afternoon trading, hitting an intraday peak of $115.46. The stock fluctuated between $113.16 and $115.46, with roughly 4.8 million shares changing hands.
The rise coincided with a wider boost in U.S. equities as traders prepared for a packed week of mega-cap earnings and the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on Wednesday. Chris Larkin of E*Trade at Morgan Stanley noted, “Wednesday’s Fed announcement will likely keep politics in the headlines.” 1
This hits Citi and other lenders hard since rate forecasts directly impact net interest income — the gap between earnings on loans and costs on deposits and funding. Even minor tweaks in rate outlooks can flip sentiment quickly, particularly when investors are already relying heavily on a few big players to drive the market.
Along with Citi, other major U.S. banks climbed. JPMorgan increased roughly 0.8%, Bank of America ticked up about 0.8%, and Wells Fargo jumped close to 1.3% during the same period.
Citi was active on the capital-markets front. A Monday SEC filing revealed Citigroup Global Markets Holdings is marketing autocallable “buffer” notes tied to the worst performer of the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500, maturing in 2030. These structured products can redeem early and don’t pay interest. According to the filing, investors risk losses beyond a 10% buffer if the worst-performing index drops significantly by maturity. 2
On Jan. 23, Citi announced plans to redeem $2.5 billion of its 1.122% fixed-to-floating rate notes due in 2027, with the redemption set for Jan. 28 at par plus accrued interest. The bank described this as a move within its liability-management strategy and said it will continue considering redemptions or repurchases based on market and regulatory factors. 3
The stock has moved steadily amid ongoing restructuring and balance-sheet repairs under Chief Executive Jane Fraser, paired with efforts to boost returns and streamline the bank. On Jan. 14, Citi topped Wall Street’s fourth-quarter profit forecasts, driven by a rebound in dealmaking and steady demand for corporate services; investment banking fees climbed 35% to $1.29 billion. 4
Washington holds the week’s biggest wildcard. The Fed is set to keep rates steady between 3.50% and 3.75%, but the meeting is now clouded by a criminal probe into Chair Jerome Powell and a legal battle involving Fed Governor Lisa Cook. These developments inject fresh uncertainty into rate-sensitive stocks. “Events outside the committee have the potential to shake up the path,” noted Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. 5
For Citi investors, Wednesday is the next big test: the Fed statement and Powell’s press conference. The market’s take on the politics behind the policy could determine if Monday’s bank rally holds through the week’s close.
