U.S. stocks rose significantly Wednesday, led by gains in healthcare and energy, after the Federal Reserve (Fed) released notes from its last meeting suggesting it would not raise interest rates in April. Oil futures also surged. The three major indexes jumped after the Fed notes from its March policymaking meeting that showed several officials expressed caution over an April interest-rate increase. There were no U.S. economic reports released Wednesday. The U.S. dollar fell versus other major currencies. Gold futures for June delivery fell $5.80 to $1,223.80 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped $1.86, or 5.2 percent, to $37.75 a barrel after U.S. weekly crude inventories fell unexpectedly following seven consecutive weeks of record highs. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 112.73, or 0.6 percent, to 17,716.05. Twenty-four of the index's 30 components rose, led by pharmaceuticals Pfizer and Merck and energy giant Chevron. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 21.49, or 1.05 percent, to 2,066.66. Healthcare rose more than 2.5 percent and energy traded about 2 percent higher as the top sector advancers. Utilities lagged. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 76.79, or 1.6 percent, to 4,920.72. A biotechnology index surged more than 5.5 percent. Shares of online retailer Amazon.com rose 2.7 percent.
