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U.S. stocks open higher ahead of Fed minutes

Xinhua, April 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

U.S. stocks opened mildly higher Wednesday, as Wall Street awaited the minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting.

Investors kept a close eye on the minutes of the U.S. central bank's March 15-16 meeting, which were scheduled for release Wednesday afternoon, for hints on the future path of interest rates and any differing views from inside the Fed.

The minutes are expected to reveal a little more of the thinking prompting the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to delay in March the second rate hike of the normalization.

Some analysts thought the minutes are likely to show a central bank ready and willing to hike rates this year, without any of the qualms that a dovish Fed might exhibit.

Oil prices were also in focus, which rebounded strongly in the early trading Wednesday as hopes for an agreement among exporters to freeze output underpinned the market.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 9.73 points, or 0.06 percent, to 17,613.05. The S&P 500 rose 2.05 points, or 0.10 percent, to 2,047.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 8.72 points, or 0.18 percent, to 4,852.65.

On Tuesday, U.S. stocks ended lower after wavering below the flatline in a narrow range, as investors digested a batch of mixed economic reports. Endi