New high for S&P 500; Nasdaq comes close

Stocks ended higher Thursday -- the Dow just barely -- as the S&P 500 notched a new closing high of 2130.82.

The Nasdaq composite ended up 0.4% to 5090.79, just shy of its closing high of 5092.08, set on April 24.

The S&P 500's gain was 0.2%, a 5-point gain. The Dow Jones industrial average -- in positive territory for most of the day and above its closing high as late as mid-afternoon -- lost steam and gained only a third of a point, ending at 18,285.74.

Energy stocks were the best-performing sector as oil prices jumped back above $60 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude jumped gained 2.6% to $60.50 a barrel.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.22% from 2.25% Wednesday.

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Although stocks are near all-time highs, trading has been sluggish this week, a pattern that is likely to remain in place ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.

"The market has been trading in a tight range for the past few days, but the trend definitely remains positive," said Neil Massa, a senior trader at John Hancock Asset Management.
Among individual stocks, Salesforce.com and Best Buy were among the biggest gainers after reporting earnings that beat Wall Street estimates. Best Buy (BBY) jumped 3.9% and Salesforce (CRM) gained 3.9%.

Global stocks were mostly lackluster. Asian markets were mixed as Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose a fractional 0.03% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 0.2%. Bucking the trend, China's Shanghai Composite jumped, rising 1.9%

European shares were up slightly as Briatin's FTSE 100 rose 0.1% and Germany's DAX index added 0.1%.

Stocks ended mixed Wednesday as the Dow retreated from its record close, dropping 26.99 to 18,285.40.

Contributing: The Associated Press