U.S. stocks finished the session higher. At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average registered 49,663 points, up 0.3 % compared with the previous trading day.
Just minutes earlier, the broader S&P 500 was trading near 6,881 points, up 0.6 %, while the technology‑heavy Nasdaq 100 was around 24,899 points, up 0.8 %.
The Federal Reserve’s latest FOMC minutes revealed a split in views on the medium‑term outlook for the policy rate. Several participants noted that further downward adjustments to the target corridor would likely be appropriate if inflation fell in line with expectations. Others said it might be prudent to hold the policy rate steady for the time being while the committee carefully evaluates incoming data, and a number of them believed that additional easing would only be justified once there were clear signals that deflationary pressures were firmly on track.
The euro weakened in the evening. It was trading at 1.1786 U.S. dollars, which means one dollar was worth 0.8485 euros at that time.
Gold made a sizable gain, trading at $4,982 per fine ounce-an increase of 2.1 %-which translates to a price of €135.91 per gram.
Brent crude also climbed sharply, with a barrel priced at $70.50 around 10 p.m. German time on Wednesday-4.6 % higher than the previous day’s close.
