Stocks Ended Higher, Dow Reached Fresh Closing High

U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as the Dow managed to book another record close in one of the final sessions of 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 73.89 points, or 0.24%, to 30,409.56. The S&P 500 was up 5.00 points, or 0.13%, to 3,732.04. The Nasdaq Composite gained 19.78 points, or 0.15%, to 12,870.00.

Oil futures ended higher Wednesday, after fluctuating between gains and losses in the wake of data showing a larger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude inventories. West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery rose 40 cents, or 0.8%, to close at $48.40 a barrel. February Brent crude gained 25 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $51.34 a barrel.