United States stocks end higher on Wednesday

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.6%. The S&P 500 was up 17.46 points, or 0.85 percent, to 2,067.90.

Shares climbed higher this week as investors shook off concerns stemming from the deadly terror attacks in Paris and Mali. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart stated that the US Federal Reserve may be heading for a slow halting effort to raise interest rates after it begins its first tightening cycle in about a decade.

“The market is now focusing on the language around the pace of the hike”.

In Europe, shares fell retreating from solid gains in the previous session, with French industrial gas company Air Liquide slipping after announcing an expensive-looking acquisition.

“There’s more risk now that if they don’t raise in December, then people will worry that we’re still not out of the woods”, said Jerry Braakman, chief investment officer at First American Trust, in Santa Ana, California, which manages $1 billion. The profit warning sent shares of peers Anthem (ANTM.N) down more than 6 percent and Aetna almost 4 percent.

Other data on Thursday showed a slight pick-up in factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region in November after two straight months of declines, in a hopeful sign for the struggling manufacturing sector. Low energy prices are good for utilities and good for consumer discretionary spending especially coming up on the holiday.

Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) fell 2.8% to $30.47 after the electronics retailer reported a sales slowdown at existing stores and warned about a drop in fourth-quarter revenue. A measure of current conditions rose 0.2%.

The FOMC Minutes for the October meeting emphasized the degree of momentum that has built behind a December lift off date and barring a sudden outbreak of financial stress it seems increasingly likely that next month’s meeting will authorize an interest rate increase…

“From a market’s standpoint, it’s unnerving to see public events like football matches being cancelled because of the threat of terrorism”, said Lawler.

The euro fell and the USA dollar gained after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi hinted at more monetary easing.

Traders are also awaiting the release of the U.S. central bank’s October policy meeting minutes, hoping for a few clues about board members’ thinking and possible pointers to their plans for December’s gathering.

Still, investors are uncertain what form further stimulus might take. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 0.2 percent today, while contracts on the Nasdaq 100 Index were little changed.