Morning roundup: Politics and bank stocks

Here's a look at this morning's banking and finance news:

• Stock market predictions abound this time of year, but continued economic uncertainty and market volatility mean what happens this year is anybody's guess, Reuters writes.


• Despite the headwinds still facing the markets, many analysts remain bullish about 2012. CNBC explains why.


• Some investors are finding high yields from trust preferreds at battered banks, including Charlotte's Bank of America, Bloomberg reports.


• Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's views on the U.S. banking system make sense, though his remedies are vague, an economist writes in the New York Times.


• Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and other big banks might see shares fall as Republican candidates step up their anti-bank rhetoric in an attempt to challenge front-runner Mitt Romney, a Forbes contributor writes.