US STOCKS-Wall St rises, bolstered by energy shares

* New home sales weaker-than-expected

* Durable goods orders rise more than expected

* Initial claims down, continuing claims hit record

* GM says amended offer to bondholders is accepted

* Dow up 0.6 pct; S&P up 1.0 pct, Nasdaq up 0.5 pct

* For up-to-the-minute market news click [STXNEWS/US]

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK, May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, as a rise in oil prices boosted energy shares, overshadowing mixed economic data on housing sales and manufacturing orders.

Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) was one of the top boosts to the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average -- up 1 percent to $68.98 -- after oil rose to nearly $65 per barrel on a report showing crude oil stocks fell more than expected last week.

Dow member General Motors Corp. rose after it said major bondholders had agreed to a debt-for-equity exchange, helping to counter uncertainty of the spillover effects onto the broader economy of a contentious bankruptcy filing by the largest U.S. automaker.

"It does make a difference if it's pre-packaged and it's easier than if the bondholders are contesting it, there is no question about that," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vermont.

"But there's still a lot of uncertainty about how this thing is going to come down and what it's going to mean for jobs and dealerships and everything else."

Economic data was mixed, with weekly jobless claims and durable goods orders signaling a stabilizing economy while new home sales data indicated ongoing weakness in the housing market.

Sales of newly built U.S. single-family homes rose less than expected for April, with the previous month's figures revised downward to show a steeper decline. For details, see [ID:nN28225440]

The Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction index .DJUSHB slumped 5 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI gained 50.02 points, or 0.60 percent, to 8,350.04. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 8.53 points, or 0.96 percent, to 901.59. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC added 7.96 points, or 0.46 percent, to 1,739.04.