Stocks on Wall Street closed mostly higher. The S&P 500 gained 0.15 percent, or 3.53 points, to close at 2,432.54 and the Nasdaq rose 0.67 percent, or 40.79 points, to end at 6,150.85. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the session just below the flat line, down 0.01 percent, or 1.1 points, at 2,1478.17.
Investors were likely to digest minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee‘s June meeting. Several Fed officials noted their concern over the impact of rate hikes on the markets. Officials were also divided over when the unwinding of the Fed’s balance sheet would begin.
In energy news, oil prices slumped around 4 percent after posting eight days of gains. Brent crude futures fell 3.7 percent to settle at $47.79 a barrel and U.S. crude dropped 4.12 percent to settle at $45.13.
In currencies, the dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of rivals, firmed to trade at 96.290 at 6:52 a.m. HK/SIN, compared with levels around the 96.13 handle seen in the last two sessions. Against the yen, the dollar was a tad softer at 113.09 against a high of 113.29 hit earlier in the session.
The Australian dollar recovered to trade at $0.7605 after trading below $0.76 earlier in the session.
