U.S. stocks closed higher Friday, with the S&P 500 setting a new record as firming oil prices sent the energy sector higher. In U.S. economic news, the University of Michigan said that consumer sentiment dropped 4.6 percent in February, missing expectations. Import prices fell 2.8 percent last month, their biggest drop in six years as the cost of petroleum and a range of other goods fell, a sign that domestic inflation pressures could remain muted for a while. It was the seventh straight month of declines in import prices. In international economic news, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to meet with representatives from the European Union, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), ahead of Monday's key Eurogroup meeting on debt talks. Meanwhile, the ECB allowed Greek banks to access extra emergency financing from the Bank of Greece because deposit outflows have increased and to ensure they have liquidity while discussions continue in Brussels next week. On Sunday, Russia is expected to enter a ceasefire with Ukraine as announced Thursday. In corporate news, ConAgra Foods cut its full-year profit forecast due to weaker sales and a stronger dollar. The company also named Sean Connolly as its chief executive, replacing the retiring Gary Rodkin. Connolly was chief executive of Hillshire Brands prior to its sale to Tyson Foods last year. Nike's chief financial officer Donald Blair is retiring in October, to be replaced by senior vice president of finance Andrew Campion. The dollar moved higher against other major world currencies. Light sweet crude oil for March delivery gained $1.23 to $52.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures increased $6.40 to $1,227.10. The Dow Jones industrial average added 46.01, or 0.26 percent, to 18,018.39. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 8.40, or 0.40 percent, to 2,096.89. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 36.22, or 0.75 percent, to 4,893.84.
