U.S. stocks rose to session highs on Thursday, as a surge in oil prices lifted energy shares, while positive broker comments on banks including JPMorgan drove a run-up in financials.

U.S. front-month crude oil rose 4.7 percent, or $3.10, to $69.21 a barrel after Goldman Sachs raised its oil price forecast.

Investors bet that the run-up in oil prices pointed to rising demand as the economy recovers.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 50.01 points, or 0.58 percent, to 8,725.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 8.00 points, or 0.86 percent, to 939.76. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 16.99 points, or 0.93 percent, to 1,842.91.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Price