Comment on US stocks barely budge as banks slip after two-day surge

Oil prices are at their highest level since October and U.S. crude is near $50 a barrel, a level it hasn't surpassed since July. Department store Sears jumped after it said it is looking at options for its Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard and Sears Home Services businesses. Discount retailer Dollar Tree retailer raised its forecasts for the year after it reported its first-quarter results. [...] on Thursday, PVH, the owner of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands raised its profit forecasts for the year after it reported strong quarterly results. Wholesale club operator Costco also rose $7.50, or 5.2 percent, to $152.04 after making its quarterly report. Personal computer and printer maker HP reported a bigger profit than analysts had forecast, and it gave a solid outlook for the year. Applications are a proxy for layoffs, so the decline suggests that companies feel comfortable enough to hold on to their workers. A measurement of business investment fell for the third month in a row, signaling that manufacturing is still under pressure.