BofA (BAC) Leads U.S. Stocks Higher

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) is helping push up U.S. stocks today as it hints it my be ready to boost dividends and repurchase shares in the company.

Also driving up U.S. stock prices is the possibility Moammar Gadhafi may attempt to end to the Libya crisis peacefully.

Soaring bank shares led the broader U.S. stock market higher as Bank of America raised hopes that it will increase dividends and share buybacks, while crude-oil prices dropped in response to reports Moammar Gadhafi may be looking for a peaceful end to the Libya crisis, said the Wall Street Journal.

Leading the gains were financial stocks, including Dow components Bank of America, up 4.3%; American Express (NYSE:AXP), up 3.5%; and J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), up 3.1%. Citigroup (NYSE:C) added 2.8%, Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) gained 3.2% and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) increased 1.4%.