Stocks Suffer Rocky Road to Gains as Fed and Oil Rock Markets

Stock markets closed higher on Thursday but not without suffering increased volatility as mixed earnings and uncertainty over the Federal Reserve kept trading choppy. The Dow added 56 points, the S&P 500 gained 0.45%, and the Nasdaq added 0.48%. The energy sector was the market leader as crude oil recovered above $50 a barrel after plunging more than 6% a day earlier. General Electric was the best performer on the Dow following reports it is close to selling its real estate portfolio, a deal that could fetch around $30 billion. Costco weighed on the S&P 500, falling more than 2% after reporting its first monthly comparable-sales decline in the U.S. since 2009.