Major U.S. stock-indexes rose on Thursday, led by energy companies and a rebound in financials, but gains were kept in check by cautious trading ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting and on uncertainty about quick U.S. fiscal stimulus. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, start their two-day meeting later in the day, and top of the agenda is the possibility of Trump using U.S.-China trade ties to pressure Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea's arms program.

Most of Dow stocks in positive area (27 of 30). Top loser - Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ, -1.15%). Top gainer - Caterpillar Inc. (CAT, +1.97%).

Most of S&P sectors in positive area. Top loser - Utilities (-0.3%). Top gainer - Basic Materials (+0.7%).

At the moment:

Dow 20649.00 +72.00 +0.35%

S&P 500 2356.50 +10.00 +0.43%

Nasdaq 100 5424.75 +8.50 +0.16%

Oil 51.71 +0.56 +1.09%

Gold 1254.00 +5.50 +0.44%

U.S. 10yr 2.35 +0.00