Mining giant Rio Tinto replaced its CEO after taking a $14 billion writedown on its aluminum and coal businesses.

European markets closed higher. The FTSE 100 in London rose 0.5%, the CAC 40 in Paris gained nearly 1% and the Dax in Frankfurt added 0.6%. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei closed narrowly higher, but the Hang Seng slipped and the Shanghai Composite fell more than 1%.

Oil prices jumped 1.3% to $95.48 a barrel. Gold was up nearly $5 to $1,688 an ounce. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 1.87%. The U.S. dollar gained versus the Japanese yen and British pound, but fell against the euro.