Bank of America Surges on a Flat Day

The market's three major indexes were all up slightly on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq leading the way:

Index	Change	Ending Value
Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI  )	+5.75 [+0.04%]	12,883.95
Nasdaq (INDEX: ^IXIC  )	+11.78 [+0.41%]	2,915.86
S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC  )	+2.91 [+0.22%]	1,349.96

For those who need their daily update on the Greece situation, Bloomberg reports word of a draft agreement involving Greece, the European Union, and the International Monetary Fund. As part of the permanent spending cuts, there would be a 20% drop in the minimum wage and lower pension payments. To put that in perspective, if the U.S. took a similar measure, its minimum wage would fall from $7.25 to $5.80.

Looking at the individual Dow components, only one of the 30 stocks rose or fell more 2% or more today: Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) rose 3.6%. Year to date, the financial sector has led all 10 of the S&P 500 sectors (up more than12%). In a rally, the most beaten-down stocks generally pop the most. This has been true for Bank of America, as it has risen 46% after breaking above $8 a share for the first time since September.

Aside from a general rally in the stock market, the large banks,including Bank of America and fellow Dow bank JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , are nearing a federal and state settlement on a bevy of mortgage and foreclosure-related issues. The settlement could cost B of A, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Ally Financial up to $25 billion. Although the potential sums aren't trivial, the market generally rewards additional certainty. That may be part of what we're seeing in Bank of America's run-up. 

As you put the daily news in perspective and hunt for long-term buys, consider reading a free report I wrote called "The Stocks Only the Smartest Investors Are Buying." It details a bank much smaller than Bank of America that has some of the best operational numbers I've ever seen. Read the report and find out its name.