Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) finished Tuesday’s session modestly higher and then ticked up again in after-hours trading, keeping the stock near fresh multi-year highs as investors digested a surprisingly strong U.S. GDP print and positioned for a thin, holiday-shortened Christmas Eve trading day.
After the closing bell on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, BAC shares closed at $55.97 (+0.16%) and traded around $56.08 in after-hours (+0.20%), with after-hours volume around 901K shares. During the regular session, the stock traded up to $56.22. 1
Bank of America stock price recap: what happened after the bell
Here are the key numbers investors are focusing on tonight:
- Close (4:00 p.m. ET): $55.97, up about 0.16%
- After-hours (early evening ET): about $56.08, up about 0.20%
- Regular-session range: roughly $55.81 to $56.22
- Regular-session volume: about 22.2 million shares 1
That’s not a dramatic move—yet it matters, because BAC is trading close to the top of its recent range, and holiday liquidity can exaggerate even small catalysts.
Why BAC moved today: the market’s focus was macro (and rates)
Bank of America didn’t drive Tuesday’s tape with a single company-specific headline. Instead, macro data and rate expectations did the heavy lifting.
A record close for the S&P 500 set the tone
U.S. stocks broadly rose Tuesday, and the S&P 500 closed at a new record (6,909.79). Reuters described the session as one where a “flurry of economic data” helped lift equities, even as bond yields moved higher. 2
Big banks like Bank of America often trade as a real-time referendum on:
- the direction of Treasury yields
- the outlook for Fed policy
- and investor confidence in credit quality and consumer resilience
The GDP report was the headline catalyst
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that real GDP rose at a 4.3% annual rate in Q3 2025, with the release explicitly noting the report’s timing was affected by the recent government shutdown. The same release showed the PCE price index at 2.8% (core PCE 2.9%) and corporate profits increasing in the quarter. 3
For BAC, that combination—strong growth but still-firm inflation—feeds directly into expectations for how quickly (or slowly) rates may move next year, which in turn can influence:
- net interest income sensitivity,
- deposit pricing pressure,
- and loan demand.
Today’s forecasts and analyst-style takes: what they’re saying about BAC into 2026
One of the most widely circulated “head-to-head” analyses published Tuesday morning came via a Nasdaq.com/Zacks piece comparing Bank of America vs. Citigroup as a 2026 setup.
Key takeaways from that analysis that matter for BAC shareholders:
- Net interest income outlook: The piece argues BAC may be less likely to see NII pressure in 2026 despite declining rates, citing factors such as fixed-rate asset repricing and easing funding costs. 4
- Company projection referenced: It points to BAC projecting a 5%–7% year-over-year increase in NII for 2026 (as characterized in the analysis). 4
- Consensus earnings growth (Zacks framing): The article cites Zacks consensus estimates implying ~15.9% earnings growth for 2025 and ~14% for 2026, while also noting estimate revisions have moved lower over the past week. 4
Whether you agree with that thesis or not, it highlights the core debate for BAC heading into next year:
Will falling rates hurt margins more than they help loan growth, credit performance, and fee-driven activity?
Bank of America headlines investors should know tonight
Even if Tuesday didn’t deliver a blockbuster BAC-specific press item, there are several near-term, investor-relevant items worth having on your radar before Wednesday’s open:
1) Dividend timeline: next payment is this week
Bank of America has declared a regular quarterly common dividend of $0.28 per share, payable December 26, 2025, to shareholders of record as of December 5, 2025. 5
2) Preferred dividend actions (capital management backdrop)
The bank also recently announced preferred stock dividends payable in January and February 2026 across multiple series. This doesn’t directly change common-stock valuation overnight, but it’s part of the broader capital and funding picture investors track. 6
3) Next earnings date: the next “real” catalyst is in January
Bank of America’s investor relations page lists the next quarterly earnings release as Wednesday, January 14, 2026. 7
For many investors, that date matters more than any single low-volume holiday session—because it’s where BAC will update the market on net interest income trends, deposit betas, credit quality, and expense discipline.
4) Recent management commentary still shaping expectations
Earlier this month, CEO Brian Moynihan told Reuters he expected markets business revenue to rise in the fourth quarter (high single digits to 10%) and said consumers were in good shape, with credit quality holding up—while also noting the bank expected to buy back more stock in Q4. 8
And Reuters reported the bank planned to increase its investment-banking bonus pool for top performers after a stronger year for deal activity—another data point that investors use to gauge the health of fee lines and talent retention. 9
What to know before the market opens tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025)
Wednesday isn’t a normal session. If you’re trading BAC (or even just watching it), the calendar is part of the story.
Markets close early
- U.S. stock markets: scheduled to close early at 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 24, per the NYSE holiday calendar. 10
- U.S. bond markets: SIFMA recommends an early close at 2:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 24 for many fixed-income products. 11
Low liquidity can mean:
- wider spreads,
- less reliable technical signals,
- and sharper reactions to any surprise headline.
The one economic release to watch early
Investopedia’s calendar for this holiday week flags Initial Jobless Claims as the key Wednesday morning report. 12
Why it matters for BAC:
- Claims can move front-end yields and rate-cut expectations.
- Rate expectations feed directly into bank-stock leadership vs. lagging behavior—especially in thin markets.
What BAC watchers typically monitor premarket on a day like this
If you’re building a “before the bell” checklist for Bank of America stock, focus on:
- After-hours / premarket stability: Is BAC holding around $56, or fading back toward the prior close? 1
- Treasury yield direction after GDP: Strong growth and sticky inflation signals can keep yields firm; that can change the leadership profile of the market (growth vs. value) and tug at banks differently. 3
- Peer sympathy moves: JPM, WFC, C and the broader financials sector can pull BAC with them in low-volume sessions—sometimes more than BAC-specific news does.
Bottom line: the BAC setup heading into Christmas Eve trading
Bank of America stock is ending Dec. 23, 2025 in a constructive posture—near $56, near the top of its recent range, and supported by a broader market that just logged a record close after a strong GDP print. 1
But the next session (Dec. 24) is likely to be driven less by deep fundamentals and more by:
- holiday liquidity,
- one key morning data point (jobless claims),
- and rate-sensitive positioning into year-end.
If you want the next “high-conviction” catalyst for BAC specifically, the market is already looking past Christmas week toward Bank of America’s January 14, 2026 earnings report—where guidance on net interest income, credit, expenses, and capital return will matter far more than a choppy half-day session. 7
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
