U.S. stocks climbed in early afternoon trading on Wednesday as energy sector shares surged more than 4 percent, though investors were preparing for a Federal Reserve statement that may set the stage for interest rate hikes in 2015.
If the market ends higher, it would break a three-day streak of losses.
A strengthening U.S. economy is expected to trump global economic worries for the Fed, which is likely to signal it is still on track to raise rates. Many investors were devoting attention to whether the central bank drops its longstanding view that it would wait a "considerable time" before raising rates.