US stocks rose on Wednesday after employers added more jobs than expected last month, but shares came off their highs as oil prices surged in a correlation expected to define trading in the near term. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 18.35 points, or 0.15 percent, to 12,076.37. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 2.73 points, or 0.21 percent, to 1,309.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 13.01 points, or 0.48 percent, to 2,750.42.
A broker upgrade of the semiconductor sector helped the Nasdaq. The Philadelphia semiconductor index rose 1.7 percent.