Stocks Ended Higher, Dow Gained Nearly 350 Points

U.S stocks ended higher on Wednesday with help from financial stocks as investors eyed strong economic data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 346.41 points, or 1.40%, to 25,146.39. The S&P 500 gained 23.55 points, or 0.86%, to 2,772.35. The Nasdaq Composite added 51.38 points, or 0.67%, to 7,689.24.

Oil prices fell Wednesday, after a report revealed a surprise weekly climb in domestic crude inventories. July West Texas Intermediate crude fell 79 cents, or 1.2%, to settle at $64.73 a barrel. August Brent crude shed 2 cents to end at $75.36 a barrel.

Record exports shaved the U.S. trade deficit in April for the second straight month. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the trade deficit dropped to $46.2 billion in April, down from $47.2 billion in March and lowest since September.