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.” (Reuters)
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. (SEC)
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. (Citi)
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. (Reuters)
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. (Reuters)
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.
