Last year was a year to remember for bank stocks, many of which surged by double-digits after the presidential election in November convinced investors that profits in the industry could soon improve. But while 2017 offers a new slate of risks and rewards, it could turn out to be yet another very good year for the nation’s biggest bank by assets, JPMorgan Chase At the end of last year, the Federal Reserve raised the fed funds rate , the primary short-term interest rate benchmark in the United States, for only the second time since the financial crisis.