Dow Jones Industrial Average Gains While Oil Prices Hover Around 6-Year Low

U.S. stocks edged higher Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing above the 18,000 milestone, as investors shrugged off mixed jobless claims data during the last day of trading for 2014. Meanwhile, Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, hovered around a new low of $56 a barrel, heading for its largest annual decline since 2008, as oil inventories declined more than expected last week.