Stocks ended higher on Friday after Ford Motor Co. raised its earnings forecasts but gains on the Nasdaq were checked after wireless technology provider Qualcomm Inc. said an accounting review may reduce pretax income. Oil stocks rose as crude oil futures surged almost $2 a barrel to their highest close in more than three weeks amid concerns over how Hurricane Ivan and new storms might affect oil production. Some analysts worried that higher oil prices would hurt economic growth and cut into corporate profits outside the energy sector. Exxon Mobil Corp. rose 1.7 percent to $48.37 and ChevronTexaco Corp. climbed 1.9 percent to $51.95. October crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled up $1.71, or 3.9 percent, at $45.59 a barrel. "Oil continues to move higher -- this has been a stormy month and there's another one coming after Ivan," said Michael Murphy, managing director at Wachovia Securities. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 39.97 points, or 0.39 percent, at 10,284.46. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 5.05 points, or 0.45 percent, at 1,128.55. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was up 6.01 points, or 0.32 percent, at 1,910.09. --More 2334 Local Time 2034 GMT
