New York - A banking rally helped US stocks make limited gains after mixed trading Monday, which began with poor earnings forecasts from Boeing Co and Chevron Corp.

Financial stocks climbed 4.8 per cent on the day, led by Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp as many in the sector prepared to release quarterly earnings this week.

Goldman Sachs Inc reported a 1.66-billion-dollar profit soon after market close and indicated it would sell shares to raise money to repay a 10-billion-dollar emergency loan it received from the government at the height of the financial turmoil in October.

A record 3-billion-dollar profit last week from Wells Fargo has fueled investor hopes that the financial crisis may be nearing an end.

But other sectors struggled. Planemaker Boeing Co and energy giant Chevron both lowered their forecasts for first-quarter earnings. Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp also dropped on the day.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 25.57 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 8,057.81. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 2.17 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 858.73. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index inched up 0.77 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 1,653.31.

The US currency dropped against the euro to 74.78 euro cents from 75.95 euro cents on Thursday. The dollar edged lower against the Japanese currency to 100.13 yen from 100.36 yen.