Stocks Closed with Slight Gains

U.S. stocks ended slight higher on Wednesday, as investors are reluctant to make big bets with just a few trading days remaining in 2017. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 28.09 points, or 0.11%, to 24,774.30. The S&P 500 added 2.12 points, or 0.08%, to 2,682.62. The Nasdaq Composite edged up 3.09 points, or 0.04%, to 6,939.34.

Oil prices retreated Wednesday, a day after reaching levels not seen in more than 2 years after a pipeline explosion in Libya helped to deliver a jolt to crude futures. February West Texas Intermediate oil was down 42 cents, or 0.7%, at $59.56 a barrel. February Brent fell 66 cents, or 1% to $65.80 a barrel.

Americans were a bit less confident about this economy this month than they were in November. The Conference Board said Wednesday that its consumer confidence index dipped to 122.1 in December from a revised 128.6 in November.