U.S. stocks close higher, boosted by energy sector and Morgan Stanley

U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with energy companies the biggest gainers of the day as crude prices climbed nearly 2%. Sentiment was also lifted by stronger-than-expected quarterly results from Morgan Stanley [S: MS], as well as the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, which indicated that the U.S. economy was continuing its modest, albeit steady, expansion. The Dow Jones Industrial Average [S: DJIA] closed up 41.23 points, or 0.2%, to close at 18,203.17. The S&P 500 [S: SPX] rose 4.74 points, or 0.2%, to end at 2,144.33. The S&P energy sector rose 1.4% on the day, by far the biggest gainer among S&P sectors. The Nasdaq Composite Index [S: COMP] edged up 2.58 points, or 0.05%, ending at 5,246.41. Gains in the tech-heavy Nasdaq were limited by Intel Corp. [S: INTC], which tumbled 5.9% after giving a weak revenue outlook.

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