Stocks Ended Higher, Oil Prices Climbed

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, as investors appeared to find optimism in a round of corporate earnings and economic reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 110 points, or 0.4%, to 26,559.54. The S&P 500 added 4.58 points, or 0.2%, to 2,905.03. The Nasdaq Composite edged up 1.98 points, or 0.02%, to 7,998.06. for the week, the S&P 500 shed about 0.1% but the Dow climbed 0.6% and the Nasdaq gained 0.2%.

Oil futures climbed Thursday, with the U.S. benchmark posting its seventh weekly rise in a row—the longest streak of weekly gains in about five years. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery tacked on 24 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $64 a barrel, up 0.2% for the week. June Brent crude added 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $71.97 a barrel and gained 0.6% for the week.