Oil rises, stocks mixed as investors eye chances for end of Mideast war

Crude prices climbed Wednesday while stocks diverged as investors digested mixed signals about talks to end the war in the Middle East and get oil and gas flowing through the Strait of Hormuz once again. A string of solid first-quarter earnings from blue chip companies has also bolstered sentiment that the Middle East war will not derail profits or spending plans that have fuelled equity gains in recent months.