Bank of America’s latest earnings results offer insight into the sentiment of U.S. businesses on M&A in the coming year. “The consumers are still spending, and our business clients are profitable and increasingly optimistic,

The nation's second-largest bank issued guidance that net interest income will reach up to $15.7 billion by next year's fourth quarter, a 7% increase.

The outlook sweetened the bank’s stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings of 82 cents a share, ahead of the analyst estimate of 77 cents a share. Bank of America’s stock