The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose in Thursday trading as investors focused on a mixed bag of April sales data even as oil prices broached a new high of $124 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The S&P 500 rose 5.11 points to 1,397.68.
Shares of oil driller National Oilwell Varco led the index, gaining $6.26, or 9.1 percent, to $75.14 after oil settled at a a record $123.69 per barrel on the Nymex after setting the high.
Shares of oil driller Rowan Cos. Inc. jumped $2.69, or 7 percent, to $41.34.
Shares of Peabody Energy Corp. rose $3.90, or 6 percent, to $69.21.
On the losing side, shares of Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. tumbled $11.55, or 23.3 percent, to $38.10 after the drug developer posted first-quarter profit below Wall Street expectations and cut its 2008 forecast.
Shares of Tesoro Corp. slid $1.45, or 5.9 percent, to $23.23 as a Deutsche Bank analyst lowered his target price and said oil refiners are facing the toughest environment since Sept. 11.
Shares of Dillard's Inc. dropped $1.13, or 5.6 percent, to $19. On Thursday, the department store chain said its same-store sales fell 4 percent in April, missing analyst estimates.
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