Wall St. up on energy stocks as oil rises

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Tuesday, with all three indexes up about 1 percent, as oil crept back toward $100 a barrel, lifting shares of oil producers and energy-related companies.

Exxon Mobil Corp was the top gainer on the Dow as supply disruptions around the world pushed crude futures up $2.60 to $98.10 a barrel. Shares of Chevron Corp , in their first day listed among the Dow Jones industrials, were the next biggest gainer on the average.

Financial services companies rose as the U.S. market brushed off the latest major investment bank write-off, taking its cue instead from positive comments in Barron's on American International Group Inc and the British government's decision to nationalize troubled bank Northern Rock .

"Those are the kind of things that are going to boost the financials and the confidence in the equity market as a whole," said Marc Pado, San Francisco-based U.S. market strategist, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 118.21 points, or 0.96 percent, at 12,466.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 12.57 points, or 0.93 percent, at 1,362.56. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 20.79 points, or 0.90 percent, at 2,342.59.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported quarterly results that topped analysts' expectations as cost-conscious consumers shopped for discounted goods at the world's biggest retailer. Wal-Mart shares rose 0.7 percent at $49.78.

Exxon's stock rose 3 percent to $87.92 and Chevron was up 2 percent at $85.29.

Other earnings news that lifted the market included higher-than-expected quarterly earnings from pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc , which helped lift shares of its rivals.

Medco shares rose 4.1 percent to $51. Express Scripts shares were up 4.9 percent to $66.83.

Shares of AIG, the world's largest insurer, were up 3.4 percent at $47.69 after Barron's reported that the stock appeared to be a "screaming value" at $45.

Credit Suisse revealed it has written $2.85 billion off the value of its asset-backed investments and found pricing errors on its books. U.S.-listed shares of Credit Suisse were down 5.6 percent to $48.03.

Investors returned from a long holiday weekend after U.S. markets were closed on Monday for Presidents Day.

Investors will get a fresh look at the housing market when The National Association of Home Builders reports its February housing market index at 1 p.m..

(Editing by Kenneth Barry)

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