keywords: stocks stock prices oil investors
text: Wall Street Jumps as Oil Prices Fall  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks surged on Wednesday as  steep oil prices, which have held investor enthusiasm for  stocks in check for months, eased almost 5 percent after a  higher-than-expected rise in crude inventories last week.  NYMEX December crude &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CLZ4 target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;CLZ4&lt;/A&gt;, which on Monday hit an all-time  high of \$55.67, settled \$2.71 lower at \$52.46 a barrel after  falling as low as \$52.10 -- more than a \$3 drop. Stock market  investors dislike high oil prices because they cut into  consumer spending and corporate profits.