U.S. stocks closed higher for the fourth straight day Friday as crude oil prices climbed and official data showed jobs growth in February was stronger than economists’ expected. The S&P 500 gained 6.48 points, or 0.3%, to 1,999.91. The Dow industrials rose 62.66 points, or 0.4%, to 17,006.77, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 9.6 points, or 0.2%, to 4,717.02. All three indexes have logged three straight weekly gains. Chesapeake Energy Corp. [s:CHK] was the largest gainer on the S&P 500 for a third straight day. Meanwhile, H&R Block Inc. was the worst performer on the index after posting disappointing third-quarter earnings.
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