July 14 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock futures rose as higher oil and metal prices lifted commodity producers and earnings topped estimates at CSX Corp. and Johnson & Johnson. Exxon Mobil Corp. added 0.4 percent and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the world’s biggest publicly traded copper producer, climbed 2.1 percent. Johnson & Johnson and CSX added at least 0.8 percent. CIT Group Inc. surged 20 percent after the commercial lender said it is in “active discussions” with regulators about a rescue. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. fluctuated after posting profit that topped analysts’ estimates. Futures on the S&P 500 expiring in September added 0.5 percent to 899.8 at 8:33 a.m. in New York. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 0.5 percent to 8,300. Nasdaq-100 Index futures rose 0.2 percent to 1,445.25. The S&P 500 posted its steepest advance since June 1 yesterday as analyst Meredith Whitney recommended buying shares of Goldman Sachs and said banks may rally 15 percent, pushing up financial shares. The benchmark index for U.S. equities has risen 33 percent from its 12-year low on March 9 amid speculation the economic contraction is slowing. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s second- quarter profit exceeded analysts’ estimates as record trading and stock underwriting led the company to its highest quarterly profit. Net income in the three months ended June 26 was $3.44 billion, or $4.93 a share, the New York-based bank said today in a statement. That surpassed the $3.65 per-share average estimate of 22 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg and compared with $2.09 billion, or $4.58 per share, in last year’s second quarter. Goldman Beats Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s second-quarter profit exceeded analysts’ estimates as record trading and stock underwriting led the company to its highest quarterly profit. Net income in the three months ended June 26 was $3.44 billion, or $4.93 a share, the bank said in a statement. That surpassed the $3.65 per-share average estimate of 22 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg and compared with $2.09 billion, or $4.58 per share, in last year’s second quarter. Freeport-McMoRan climbed 2.7 percent to $49.20, as copper rose for a second day. Alcoa Inc., the largest U.S. aluminum producer, added 2 percent to $9.85. CIT Group jumped 20 percent to $1.62. The century-old lender that’s been unable to persuade the government to back its debt sales said it is in talks with regulators about a rescue before $1 billion of bonds mature next month. Earnings Watch Intel Corp. and Citigroup Inc. are among more than 30 companies in the S&P 500 Index scheduled to report results this week. Analysts estimate the group’s profits fell an average 35 percent in the second quarter and will decrease 21 percent from July through September, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Citigroup rose 6.5 percent to $2.96. General Electric Co., viewed as an economic bellwether for the U.S. as the world’s biggest supplier of power-plant turbines, jet engines and private-label credit cards, rallied 2.1 percent to $11.70. Both companies will report earnings July 17. Johnson & Johnson climbed 1.4 percent to $58.85 after the maker of health-care products such as Listerine mouthwash reported second-quarter earnings that beat analysts estimate by 3 cents a share. Dell Inc. slid 3.2 percent to $12.60. The world’s second- largest maker of personal computers said profitability may suffer this quarter on higher costs. Competitive pricing and the higher cost of components will cause a “modest decline” in second-quarter gross margin, the company said yesterday. Demand has stabilized and sales probably rose from the first quarter, Dell said.

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