BUZZ-Barclays positive on US large-cap banks in 2025, raises Citigroup to 'overweight'

** Barclays expects U.S. large-cap banks to benefit from accelerating loan growth, declining funding costs, increased fee income and a relatively stable tax rate in 2025

** Barclays upgrades Citigroup C.N to "overweight" from "equal weight"; raises PT to $95 from $70, a 33.8% upside to stock's last close of $71

** Shares of Citi up 1.8% at $72.3 in premarket trading

** However, Barclays also sees potential risks from economic and post-election uncertainties and tariff policy

** S&P 500 Banks Index .SPXBK - tracking large-cap banks - soared 34.2% in 2024, sailing past S&P 500.SPX, which rose 23.3%

** Barclays lifts PTs for other major U.S. banks - Goldman Sachs GS.N, Morgan Stanley MS.N, Bank of America BAC.N, J.P.Morgan JPM.N and Wells Fargo WFC.N

(Reporting by Kanchana Chakravarty in Bengaluru)

((Kanchana.Chakravarty@thomsonreuters.com))