Business news for Mon, 24 Dec 2007 & with words pulled+stocks. 2 news.

Stocks closed higher Monday afternoon, at the end of a half-day, as investors cheered news from Merrill Lynch and worried that last-minute holiday shoppers may not have pulled through for retailers.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Energy stocks opened mixed in thin pre-holiday trade Monday, with a decline in crude-oil futures keeping the sector from participating in a move higher by the broader market. Early trades saw the Amex Oil Index rise 0.2% to 1,550 points, edging slightly into record-high territory, while the Philadelphia Oil Service Index pulled back 0.4% and the Amex Natural Gas Index slipped 0.2% to 579.5 points. Crude for February delivery was last down 47 cents at $92.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.