U.S. Stocks End Higher, Sidestep Oil Weakness

U.S. stocks ended higher Thursday, led by gains in materials and industrials stocks. The equity market had been tracking gains in crude-oil prices earlier in the session but bucked that trend as oil turned lower on waning confidence that a pact to curb output by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was imminent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average [DJIA] advanced 79.85 points, or 0.5%, to 16,416, the S&P 500 index climbed 3 points, or 0.2%, to 1,915, while the Nasdaq Composite Index moved 5 points, or 0.1%, to 4,509. Weakness in the dollar helped materials stocks gain, with the S&P 500 materials sector ending 2.8% higher. The S&P 500's industrials sector picked up 1.7% to post the day's second-best advance.