US Stocks finish higher thanks to afternoon boost (ext)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks finished higher Wednesday, thanks to a late-day advance, as investors shrugged off jitters about turmoil in the Middle East and Japan's nuclear issues.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) closed 67 points higher, or 0.6%,The S&P 500 (SPX) rose 4 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) added 14 points, or 0.5%.

Traders spent most of Wednesday and the previous session on the sidelines, unwilling to place any big bets as global concerns linger.

But with a lack of any significant developments, investors began to tiptoe their way back into the market late Wednesday afternoon.

"We've been watching for more news out of Japan and the Middle East, but there's not much new information, so that's improving some confidence," said Paul Radeke, vice president at KDV Wealth Management. "There's a lot of pent-up demand, and a lack of further bad news will lift the market."

A disappointing housing report didn't help matters much, but after a brief blip, investors largely shrugged off the data, which showed new home sales tumbled to a record low last month.

The dollar rose against the euro and British pound, but fell versus the Japanese yen.

Meanwhile, commodity prices gained across the board.

Oil for May delivery, which became the front-month contract Wednesday, settled up 78 cents, or 0.7%, to $105.75 a barrel as fighting in Libya continued. Natural gas prices also rose, climbing almost 2% to $4.34 per thousand cubic feet.