The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that Canada's equity benchmark is positioned to outperform its U.S. counterpart for a second year in a row -- which would be its first back-to-back win in 15 years. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says accomplishing that feat depends on whether the S&P/TSX composite index, which is up 9.9 per cent so far this year, can sustain its edge over the S&P 500 Index, which is up 9.6 per cent. The problem is both gauges' advance have been driven by a single industry. In the U.S., it's chipmakers and in Canada it's banks. Roughly 60 per cent of the Toronto stock market's gain this year stems from the Big Five bank stocks. RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank have collectively added 1,997 points, helping to propel the equity benchmark 3,145 points higher. The S&P 500's gain is more concentrated than its Toronto equivalent. In Canada, the stock market is fuelled by the economic cycle instead of the technology cycle, according to Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management. "If the economic cycle continues to hold ... it's positive. But when the economy turns, that's when the banks are going to start to face some headwinds," Mr. Petursson said.