US stocks are closing higher, led by a rebound in oil and gas companies as energy prices recovered from a steep drop the day before. Many of the top gainers in the Standard & Poor's 500 index Thursday were energy companies. Consol Energy and Southwestern Energy each soared 19%. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 115 points, or 0.7%, to 15,882. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose nine points, or 0.5%, to 1,868. The Nasdaq composite inched up less than a point to 4,472. (More Dow Jones stories.)