Most U.S. stocks rose, erasing an early slide, as speculation bank profits rebounded in the first quarter offset predictions of disappointing earnings from Boeing Co. and Chevron Corp.

Citigroup Inc. jumped 25 percent and Bank of America Corp. advanced more than 15 percent. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which posted better-than-expected earnings after the close of trading, climbed 4.7 percent as Citigroup analysts urged investors to buy shares of the sixth-biggest U.S. bank. Express Scripts Inc. jumped 16 percent on plans to buy WellPoint Inc.’s pharmacy- benefit management unit for $4.7 billion.

About 10 stocks advanced for every nine that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 0.3 percent to 858.73 after tumbling as much as 1.3 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 25.57 points, or 0.3 percent, to 8,057.81 as declines in Boeing, Chevron and Exxon Mobil Corp. weighed on the 30-stock gauge. Markets in Europe were closed, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.5 percent.

(Bloomberg.com)