US stocks rose for a second day, erasing early losses in a volatile day on Thursday as earnings helped technology and consumer discretionary stocks after a substantial fall for equities this month. The Nasdaq posted the biggest gains after strong earnings from NetApp Inc pushed the stock up 8.6 percent to $56.19, while shares of Microsoft Corp jumped 2.4 percent to $24.77 after a prominent investor said its chief executive should resign.
The best-performing sector was consumer discretionaries, helped by Tiffany & Co, up 8.6 percent at $76.03 after the luxury retailer reported its first-quarter results and raised its outlook. The Dow Jones industrial average advanced 15.51 points, or 0.13 percent, to 12,410.17. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 4.13 points, or 0.31 percent, to 1,324.60. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 19.25 points, or 0.70 percent, to 2,780.64.