Banks and energy companies lead US stocks higher; oil rising

U.S. stocks moved higher in afternoon trading Thursday, on course to erase modest losses from the day before. Banks and energy companies accounted for most of the gains. Retailers also rose. Utilities lagged the most.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 10 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,689 as of 2:17 p.m. Eastern Time. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 92 points, or 0.4 percent, to 24,819. The Nasdaq composite added 18 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,979. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 9 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,549.

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