New York  - US stocks edged up Tuesday after Goldman Sachs posted surprising quarterly earnings and retail earnings rose by the most since January.

Goldman Sachs overwhelmed Wall Street expectations, earning 2.7 billion dollars in the second quarter of the year despite the ongoing economic crisis, its best performance since a record year in 2007.

But financial stocks as a group actually fell slightly on the day. Other major US banks are set to report their quarterly earnings in the coming days.

Retail sales climbed 0.6 per cent in June, offering another sign that the US economy may be stabilizing after its worst recession in decades.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 27.81 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 8,359.49. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 4.79 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 905.84. The technology- heavy Nasdaq Composite Index added 6.52 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 1,799.73.

The US currency crept up against the euro to 71.6 euro cents from 71.49 euro cents on Monday. The dollar rose against the Japanese currency to 93.53 yen from 92.84 yen. (dpa)