Stocks Ended Higher after Report U.S. Officials May Ease Tariffs on Chinese Imports

U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursdy after The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials are considering easing tariffs on Chinese imports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 162.94 points, or 0.67%, to 24,370.10. The S&P 500 was up 19.86 points, or 0.76%, to 2,635.96. The Nasdaq Composite gained 49.77 points, or 0.71%, to 7,084.46.

Oil futures finished with a modest loss on Thursday, pressured by recent data showing a weekly climb in U.S. crude production. West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery fell 24 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $52.07 a barrel. March Brent crude lost 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $61.18 a barrel.

Netflix (NFLX) reported lighter-than-expected revenue for the fourth quarter of 2018. It posted revenue of $4.19 billion, falling short of estimates of $4.21 billion for the quarter. The company also said it foresees fiscal first quarter revenue of $4.49 billion, lower than the expected $4.6 billion.