Stocks finished slightly higher, getting a lift from positive earnings news from Netflix and Morgan Stanley plus a preliminary Brexit deal.
The Dow Industrials gained 23 points, the Nasdaq Composite rose 32, and the S&P 500 added 8.
Shares of Pool Corporation soared 6%. The Covington-based pool-supplies retailer this morning reported better-than-expected per-share earnings of $1.84. Pool Corp.’s stock is up 35% so far this year.
A notable decliner today: IBM, shares of which slid 5.4 percent. Big Blue late yesterday reported third-quarter revenue of $18.03 billion which was well shy of analysts’ estimates and marked a fifth-straight quarter of declining revenue. Oil futures rose for a second-straight session. Investors largely shrugged off data showing a bearishly large rise in U.S. crude-oil inventories. November crude settled 1.1% higher at $53.93 a barrel.