Wall St higher as BofA earnings bolster optimism

Bank of America's report continued the momentum for U.S. banks kicked off by JPMorgan last week. The bank's shares rose 1.6 percent to $13.87, helping the S&P financial index gain 0.3 percent. "We're now on to the next shiny new object and that's earnings season," said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago.