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Wall Street was mostly in the green as crude added to the week's gains after a steeper-than-expected decline in U.S. inventories. Crude was trading near $51 a barrel at 10-month highs.The number of job openings rose to a record high of 5.8 million in April, according to the latest JOLTS report. The pace at which companies hired slowed in April, while the rate of voluntary resignations slipped to 2%. Target was slightly higher after hiking its quarterly dividend by 7.1% to 60 cents a share. The quarterly dividend offers a new yield of 3.5%. Verifone was downgraded to EQUAL WEIGHT at Barclays and SECTOR WEIGHT at Pacific Crest. The two firms raised issues such as lack of near-term visibility and macro pressures in emerging markets.

U.S. stocks opened higher on Wednesday as oil prices traded at a 10-month high with West Texas Intermediate at $51 a barrel and Brent over $52.

The S&P 500 clinched a new closing high for 2016 as crude closed above $50 a barrel. The Nasdaq ended lower, though, weighed on by a health care selloff led by Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Biogen . PulteGroup spiked in afternoon trading on CNBC reports Elliott Management has taken a stake. Ralph Lauren slipped on plans to cut up to 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan. A number of longtime execs could be affected by the job cuts. The retailer could take a charge of up to $400 million in fiscal 2017. Activist investor Carl Icahn has raised his stake in Hertz to 15.24%. The car-rental business has been active this week after announcing plans to separate from its equipment-rental business.

Stocks compounded early-week gains, helped along by a less-hawkish Federal Reserve and crude gains. The S&P 500 was less than 1% from its all-time high set in May 2015. Biogen slumped following disappointing results from a Phase 2 study of a treatment for multiple sclerosis. The biotech company had hoped the treatment would show improvement in physical and cognitive function and a slowing of the disability's progression. Royal Dutch Shell rose after boosting its expected cost-saving synergies target in its $50 billion acquisition of BG Group. The oiler expects to see $4.5 billion in synergies in 2018. General Electric was rated a new market perform with a $29 price target at Cowen. The firm said organic earnings growth may lag long-term expectations.

U.S. stocks gained steam on Tuesday as oil prices crossed $50 a barrel. Supply outages in Nigeria boosted sentiment for the closely watched commodity. Valeant Pharmaceuticals shares sunk after slashing its profit outlook for the year. It now expects earnings between $6.60 and $7 a share, compared to a previously reported range of $8.50 to $9.50. For the first quarter, the troubled drugmaker reported earnings of $1.27 a share, missing estimates of $1.37. FedEx raised its quarterly dividend to 40 cents a share, from 25 cents. That's a 60 percent increase. Shares are up 1.4 percent on the news. TheStreet's Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.

Stocks head into the trading day at the highest levels this year. Indexes rallied to 2016 highs as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said interest rate hikes were needed but hedged on the timing of those. Verizon plans to submit a second-round bid of around $3 billion for Yahoo core internet business, which was much less than the $8 billion or so that was expected. The Wall Street Journal says a private equity firm, TPG Capital, is also expected to make an offer. There could be another round of bidding before a decision is made. Valeant reported its delayed first quarter results. Results missed the mark and will cut its full year earnings and revenue guidance. The new CEO said the company is making progress in stabilizing its business, which has been through controversy over price increases, questions about accounting and concerns over the use of a mail-order pharmacy.

Stocks ended the day around session highs even as Fed Chair Janet Yellen remained vague on the central bank's rate-hike plans. Crude also helped fuel gains after spiking more than 2% to close near the $50-mark. The U.S. is still on track for further rate hikes, according to Yellen who did not give a timeframe though said further gradual moves would "probably" be appropriate. Yellen also noted the Fed does not rely on a single data point such as the weak May jobs report to determine policy. Hertz climbed after making official a plan to separate its equipment-rental unit from its core car-rental business. Hertz's board approved the move which will take effect June 30. Morgan Stanley has named Lowe's as one of its top investment ideas. The firm has an OVERWEIGHT rating.

Stocks held highs ahead of a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. Yellen's insights will be picked apart for clues as to when the central bank could next hike rates after initial liftoff in December. Micro-cap driller Hercules Offshore slid after filing for bankruptcy protection wherein it will put all its assets up for sale. Hercules filed Chapter 11 restructuring plans last month, the terms of which most of its debt holders have accepted. Harley-Davidson was downgraded to neutral from buy at Goldman Sachs. The firm said checks suggest that company registration growth has stalled relative to the industry. A $50 price target has been set.

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Monday, as investors gear up for a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, which takes on more significance after Friday's dismal May jobs report. But experts say Yellen will likely downplay the weak numbers and take a bigger picture focus. 'I think she's just going to remind everybody that this is one data point of many that the Fed is looking at and one data point does not constitute a trend,' said David Lebovitz, global markets strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management. Meanwhile, Walmart shares were upgraded to buy from hold by Jefferies. The analysts also raised their price target on the stock to $82 from $60. It now trades near $71. Burberry's (BRBY.L) CEO Christopher Bailey is taking a huge hit to his salary - a 75 percent hit for fiscal 2016. He will receive just under 2 million pounds, compared to 7.5 million pounds during the period year. This comes amid falling profits and a 35 percent drop in its stock over the last year. TheStreet's Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.

Wall Street heads into the new week looking at the fallout from Friday's ugly jobs report. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen will give a speech at 12:30 ET this afternoon in Philadelphia that will be weighed very carefully. She will take questions from the audience. By just about every account, a Federal Reserve rate hike at the Fed meeting next week is off the table. Snapchat has quietly bought a company called 'Seene'. Seene is a computer vision start-up that lets mobile users make 3D selfies. Techcrunch reports the technology allows 3D selfies with a normal smartphone and could someday be used in virtual reality. JPMorgan Chase is going business casual. The Wall Street Journal reports on a memo that more of its clients are dressing informally so it will allow its bankers to dress more casual as well.

Stocks clawed back from session lows to settle with only modest losses. A big bust on the May jobs report had led Wall Street in a selloff earlier in the day. Stocks were mixed for the week. Crude oil closed below $49 a barrel after the number of active U.S. oil rigs drilling for crude rose by nine in the past week. That's one of the largest increases so far this year. Crude closed down 1.4% for the week. Ambarella moved sharply higher after topping estimates in its first quarter. The camera chipmaker's management expects increased demand for drones, wearables and home security to drive growth in the second half of the year. GrubHub has added Apple Pay as one of its payment options, meaning users can tap into their Apple ID info through the app.

The U.S. jobs report for May came in well below expectations, sparking worries over the health of the economy even as the chances of a summer rate hike diminished. The big miss triggered big losses for financials. Factory orders in April came in far stronger than forecasts. That's a positive sign that manufacturing headwinds such as weaker global demand and a strong U.S. dollar have begun to subside. The services sector grew at a slower-than-expected pace. The non-manufacturing ISM index for May was weighed on by its new orders and employment components. Service sector sentiment fell to its lowest level since early 2014. Gap turned higher despite reporting a 5% decline in sales last month.

U.S. stocks sunk on Friday, following a much weaker-than-expected May jobs report. The economy added 38,000 jobs in May, missing estimates of 158,000. The labor force participation rate continued to fall in May for the second month in a row, after rising for roughly six months. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.7 percent, but the April and March jobs numbers were revised downward. Avianca Holdings shares surged on reports it might be weighing a sale. The Wall Street Journal reports that United Continental Holdings and Delta Airlines may be interested in acquiring the airline. Finally, Broadcom shares on the rise after beating analysts' estimates on the top and bottom lines. Revenue rose 119 percent year-over-year to $3.56 billion. TheStreet's Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.

Friday's focus is on the May jobs report.

Stocks managed to end with slight gains, though investors did appear cautious ahead of Friday's jobs report. Crude boosted equities after closing in the green for the first session in five. Cloud-computing company Box was sharply lower after reporting a slowdown in quarterly billings growth, a proxy measure of future performance. A disappointing quarter prompted JPMorgan to downgrade to NEUTRAL. Franklin Resources stumbled after UBS cut its rating to SELL. Analysts said the recent pace of outflows confirmed previous concerns around the company's growth strategies. Exelon plans to shut two nuclear power plants in Illinois. The largest nuclear plant operator in the U.S. said the shutdowns were tied to a lack of progress on state legislation that would have made operations economically feasible.