U.S. stocks ripped higher Wednesday following a shot of adrenaline from an encouraging update on U.S. inflation. Strong profit reports from Wells Fargo and other big U.S. banks also helped launch indexes to their best day in two months.

Profits at some of the biggest U.S. lenders rose in the fourth quarter as dealmaking picked up and trading was boosted by strong equity markets, sparking a rally in banking stocks on Wednesday. The market environment has been favorable for banks.