The Dow Jones industrial average rose 76 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 16,330 Thursday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 10 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,952. The Nasdaq composite climbed 39 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4,796.
Freight company Con-Way soared 34 percent after agreeing to be acquired by XPO Logistics.