Stock Rise, S&P Tops 1400

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 finishing above 1,400, after reports offered evidence that the economy continues to improve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 58.66 points, or 0.44%, to 13,252.76. The S&P 500 Index added 8.32 points, or 0.60%, to 1,402.60, its first finish above the 1,400 level since June 5, 2008. The Nasdaq Composite gained 15.64 points, or 0.51%, to 3,056.37.

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday approved a 28 billion euro ($36.7 billion) bailout for Greece, part of a broader international rescue package for the debt-strapped euro zone member.

Crude-oil futures fell Thursday, but finished well above the session’s low. Crude for April delivery (NMN:CLJ2)  fell 32 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $105.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

A federal appeals court stopped just short of throwing out a judge’s controversial rejection of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s $285 million fraud settlement with Citigroup Inc over mortgage investments.

New York & Co. (NYSE:NWY) late Thursday said its fourth-quarter net loss from continuing operations was $10.9 million, or 18 cents a share.