S&P nears four-year high

US stocks meandered to a mixed finish today as higher oil prices pressured the market, but the Standard & Poor’s 500 index neared a four-year high in a sign of Wall Street’s underlying bullishness.

While there was little news to give the markets a clear direction, the stock market held on to the gains of the past three sessions, which saw the major indexes jump roughly 3%. Strong earnings from PepsiCo and others helped investors remain positive.