US stocks rise after oil prices give back some of their big gains

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are climbing Monday after oil prices eased back. The S&P 500 rose 0.9 percent and more than recovered its losses from last week, pulling within 1.6 percent of its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 242 points, or 0.5 percent, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3 percent higher. Stocks got some breathing room after the price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 1.4 percent to $110.17. It, though, is still near the high end of its range since the war with Iran began. The highest price for the most actively traded contract in the market for Brent crude since then is nearly $120, reached in March. The pullback for oil prices helped companies with big fuel bills lead the way on Wall Street. Cruise-line operator Royal Caribbean Group rose 2.1 percent, while United Airlines climbed 3.2 percent and Delta Air Lines flew 2.3 percent higher. Other airline stocks also got a bump on speculation they may benefit from weakness for JetBlue Airways, whose stock tumbled 14.1 percent toward a record low. AI stocks keep s