Thursday

U.S. stocks closed out their first day of gains this week as rising oil prices boosted energy companies and efforts to tame Japan's damaged nuclear power plant eased some fears over the crisis. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.4%, its biggest percent gain in two weeks. U.S. economic data was mixed today. Encouraging investors, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve's manufacturing survey for March showed its best reading since January 1984. Meanwhile, U.S. consumer prices rose in February at their fastest pace since mid-2009 as energy and food prices continued to move higher. DJIA +161.29 Nasdaq +19.23 S&P 500 +16.84.