NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday after a three-day decline but oil's drop to near seven-year lows still weighed on investors ahead of an expected U.S. interest rate hike.
The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI) rose 82.85 points, or 0.47 percent, to 17,575.15, the S&P 500 (SPX) gained 4.6 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,052.22 and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) added 22.31 points, or 0.44 percent, to 5,045.17.