Bank of America BAC

"The largest loss in Bank of America's history." That's the sound bite from the bank's second quarter earnings report, which disclosed an $8.8 billion bottom-line loss. But now that BOA is atoning for its mortgage-related sins, there's a chance its stock may be undervalued.

When WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asserted that his next big leak would involve documents from a major unnamed bank, investors in Bank of America got nervous and the stock has been on bumpy ride. The question now is: Have the WikiLeaks worries made BofA shares a better buy?

The Federal Reserve may soon start letting some banks boost their dividends again, according to The Wall Street Journal. If that happens, it would signal that regulators have become comfortable enough with the new financial rules to let institutions hike shareholder payouts.

As easy as it was to be bearish in 2009, it sure didn't pay. The markets have produced stellar gains that were inconceivable back in March. And while some may suggest that we're in another bubble, there's ample reason to think stocks can climb even higher through 2010 before going pop.