U.S. stocks rose Thursday, following crude-oil futures, which advanced to their highest level in three weeks on hopes for a deal among major oil producers to cut output. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.6 percent in early-afternoon trade on Wall Street. Goldman Sachs, Chevron, and Caterpillar led advancers, while American Express was the biggest decliner. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 0.7 percent. Energy led six sectors higher, while healthcare led four sectors lower. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 1 percent. Shares of Facebook jumped more than 15 percent one day after the social-media giant reported quarterly results that far surpassed analyst expectations and the company posted net profit above $1 billion for the first time. In U.S. economic news, orders for durable goods plunged more than 5 percent in December, weekly jobless claims fell, and pending home sales were little changed in December. The U.S. dollar fell versus other major currencies. Gold, normally considered a safe asset in times of turbulence, fell from 12-week highs on the New York Mercantile Exchange. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures added nearly $1.20, or about 3.6 percent, to almost $33.50 a barrel in early-afternoon trade.
