US indexes inch higher as energy stocks rise

NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes nudged higher Friday after energy companies clawed back some of their sharp losses from earlier in the week.

After meandering up and down through the day, the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 3.80 points, or 0.2 percent, to end at 2,438.30. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 2.53 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 21,394.76, and the Nasdaq composite gained 28.56, or 0.5 percent, to 6,265.25. More than twice as many stocks rose than fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Energy stocks led the way, and those in the S&P 500 climbed 0.8 percent for the largest gain of the 11 sectors that make up the index.

Rising prices for oil and natural gas drove the gains. Benchmark U.S. crude added 27 cents to settle at $43.01 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 32 cents to $45.54 and natural gas rose 4 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $2.93 per 1,000 cubic feet.