Crude oil prices rose above $51 per barrel to lift the markets to a higher close with the Dow climbing 66 points to 18,005. Nasdaq gained 12 points to 4,974.
On the upside
Shares of Biostar Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: BSPM) tripled on no news.
Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE: SID) stock climbed on AK Steel's upgrade (NYSE: AKS).
Skullcandy (Nasdaq: SKUL) founder Richard Alden was exploring a potential deal to take the company private.
On the downside
Investors continued to lock in profits on Minerva Neurosciences (Nasdaq: NERV).
MTS Systems (Nasdaq: MTSC) announced a public offering of 1.5 million shares of common stock.
Shares of Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN) extended its losses.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 2 to 1 on the NYSE and by a margin of more than 5 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 gained 6 points to 2,119. Bitcoin added $2 to $577.
