Australia’s big four banks have been one of the year’s success stories, delivering significant share price appreciation alongside a healthy dividend yield.

The S&P/ASX 200 Banks Index rose 19.2 per cent in the past 12 months compared with a 9.8 per cent return for the S&P/ASX 200. At the small end of the market, the Small Ordinaries Index is down 3.1 per cent, broken into a 9.6 per cent rise for the small industrials and a 22.3 per cent fall for small resources.