New York--Wall Street stocks opened higher Wednesday ahead of a Federal Reserve policy statement that could offer clues on when the US central bank will begin lifting interest rates.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 17,967.97, up 63.49 points (0.35 percent).
The broad-based S&P 500 added 6.63 (0.32 percent) at 2,102.92, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 15.93 (0.32 percent) to 5,071.48.
The Federal Open Market Committee statement at 1800 GMT will be followed by a news conference with Fed Chair Janet Yellen.
"Clearly, the FOMC isn't going to be raising the fed funds rate today, yet the market will be locked in on any language that suggests the committee's strong preference is to raise the policy rate before the end of the year, if not before the end of the third quarter," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
AFP
