State Bank of India (SBI) shares climbed close to 2% in Thursday’s trading session, riding the wave of anticipation after the bank announced the date for unveiling its December quarter results. Mark February 6, 2025, on your calendars, as the Central Board convenes in Mumbai to reveal the numbers for Q3FY25. Investors are clearly optimistic, with the stock gaining for the third straight session and clocking a 2.15% rally over five days. Over the past year, SBI has been a star performer, delivering a 22.28% gain and handily outpacing the Nifty’s 8.08% rise and Nifty Bank’s 7.12% uptick. The bullish sentiment is grounded in solid fundamentals. In Q2FY25, SBI blew past expectations with a 27.92% year-on-year jump in net profit, hitting ₹18,331 crore. This was powered by a surge in non-interest income, including treasury and forex gains. For FY24, the bank’s operating profit soared to ₹93,797 crore, while its net profit stood at ₹61,076 crore. That ₹1 trillion net profit milestone? Still in the works, but the trajectory looks promising. On the lending side, net interest income (NII) edged up 5.37% year-on-year to ₹41,620 crore, though the quarter-on-quarter growth was a modest 1.2%. Deposit costs for domestic operations ticked up to 5.03% in Q2FY25, while the yield on advances held steady at 8.87%, reflecting a tight but manageable margin game. As the countdown to February 6 begins, SBI’s recent performance has already set the stage for high expectations. Whether the numbers can deliver another surprise remains to be seen, but for now, investors seem happy to keep the rally going.