Positive financial news, from better-than-expected retail sales and worker productivity figures to a major court victory for Merck & Co., drove stocks higher Thursday, although a jump in oil prices limited gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 49.86, or 0.5 percent, to 10,522.59. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 5.18, or 0.4 percent, to 1,219.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 15.91, or 0.7 percent, to 2,160.22.