U.S. stocks closed more than 1 percent higher Wednesday after the October Federal Reserve (Fed) statement gave investors more confidence in the possibility of a December rate hike. In U.S. economic news, the Fed kept interest rates unchanged in its statement released at the conclusion of its two-day meeting. The advance September goods trade deficit was $58.63 billion. The euro weakened against the dollar to trade below $1.10, and the yen at 121.24 yen against the dollar. Light sweet crude oil for December delivery rose 6.3 percent to $45.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures lost $18.80 to $1,157.30 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average advanced 120, or 0.7 percent, to 17.705. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index added 16, or 0.80 percent, to 2,082. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index gained 44, or 0.87 percent, to 5,073.
