U.S. stocks rise; Dow gains 0.69% to near one-month high

U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.69% to a near one-month high, while the S&P 500 gained 0.59% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.05%, led by gains in technology, industrial, and financial sectors. IBM led the Dow with a 3.96% jump to $251.49, followed by Nvidia up 2.54% and Goldman Sachs up 2.25%. Verizon fell 2.20% as the weakest performer. On the S&P 500, Skydance Corporation surged 10.85%, while AT&T dropped 6.45% and Netflix slid 5.31% to a one-year low. The VIX volatility index fell 3.64% to 16.68. Gold futures edged up 0.02% to $4,150.90, while WTI crude rose 0.49% to $97.63 and Brent gained 0.68% to $109.56. The dollar index slipped 0.08% to 101.52.