U.S. stocks rose Thursday, ending a two-day run of declines, as oil prices steadied after breaking a new record overnight. In overnight trading, oil hit $135 per barrel for the first time, but it later pulled back below $131. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said the number of workers seeking unemployment benefits declined by 9,000 last week to 365,000. The market expected a slight increase. According to preliminary calculations, the Dow rose 24.43, or 0.19 percent, to 12,625.62. Broader stock indicators also ended higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.64, or 0.26 percent, to 1,394.35, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 16.31, or 0.67 percent, to 2,464.58. The New York Stock Exchange composite closed up 36.32 at 9,433.35, while the American Stock Exchange composite ended the day down 13.86 to 2,383.81. The Russell 2000 rose 5.90 or 0.81 percent to close at 733.01. The price of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil for June delivery fell $2.36 to $130.81.
