U.S. stocks closed higher Wednesday, as Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated that the Federal Reserve will keep its stimulus policies in place for as long as necessary and investors are starting to get the message. The dollar lost ground against the euro, the pound, and the yen. Light sweet crude oil for August delivery rose 48 cents to $106.48 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures fell $12.90 to $1,277.50 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 18.67, or 0.12 percent, to 15,470.52. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 4.65, or 0.28 percent, to 1,680.91. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 11.50, or 0.32 percent, to 3,610.00.
