U.S. stocks ticked up Wednesday after volatile trading, as global stock markets were boosted by mining and energy shares following a rebound in commodity prices.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 122.10 points, or 0.73 percent, to 16,912.29. The S&P 500 added 15.91 points, or 0.80 percent, to 1,995.83. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 42.79 points, or 0.90 percent, to 4,791.15. In Asia, Japanese stocks ended the trading higher Wednesday on the Bank of Japan's decision to maintain its ultra-loose monetary easing policy, with the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.75 percent.
Chinese stock markets will reopen Thursday after the country's seven-day National Day holiday. European equities also increased broadly Wednesday, with Germany's benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange up 0.68 percent, as shares in energy companies rallied strongly after some recovery in oil prices. With no major economic data due out Wednesday, investors keep a close eye on the third-quarter earnings season, which was supposed to be unofficially kicked off as Alcoa reports its quarterly results after Thursday's closing bell.
The third quarter earnings for companies in the S&P 500 are expected to decline around 4 percent from the same quarter 2014, according to Thomson Reuters. Traders, however, became cautious ahead of the minutes from U.S. Federal Reserve's recent meeting scheduled for release Thursday afternoon.
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