U.S. stocks rose slightly on Wednesday on strong earnings from Google Inc. and Boeing Co. amid caution before a Federal Reserve statement that could indicate the pace of future interest-rate hikes. Web search company Google jumped 10 percent to $211.57 a day after the company reported quarterly earnings that surpassed expectations. Shares of Yahoo Inc. also rose, climbing 2.4 percent to $35.60. Dow component Boeing Co. climbed 3 percent to $52.60. The commercial and military jet maker posted an 84 percent drop in quarterly profit on charges related to two aircraft programs, but it beat forecasts and sees stronger growth through 2006. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 27.63 points, or 0.26 percent, at 10,579.57. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 1.97 points, or 0.17 percent, at 1,191.38. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was up 1.89 points, or 0.09 percent, at 2,070.59. "Boeing's and Google's numbers were good," said Jim Fehrenbach, head of Nasdaq trading at Piper Jaffray. The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to announce a 25 basis point interest rate hike at 2:15 p.m. (1915 GMT) when the Fed's policy-making panel concludes its meeting. --More 2044 Local Time 1744 GMT
