(Reuters) – U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, with energy shares leading the advance as crude oil rebounded off a sharp decline, while investors bet that companies would top lowered expectations this earnings season.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) rose 56.08 points, or 0.31 percent, to 17,958.59, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 9.26 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,091.16 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 23.74 points, or 0.48 percent, to 4,974.57.

(Reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)