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 The path of least resistance was higher on Wednesday as British stocks rallied with little macroeconomic or corporate news.
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 President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued to pressure the Federal Reserve and the central bank's chairman to lower interest rates, saying its policies were hampering U.S. growth and reducing the country's ability to compete economically.
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The Trump administration is boasting that the economy is strong. But the administration is also calling for the kind of dramatic economic stimulus one would usually only consider during a recession.
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Our call of the day from Matthew Miskin, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, says he has spotted a big blind spot for U.S. investors.
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Brazil's Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate, research center says CNNAmazon fires: Record number burning in Brazil rainforest - space agency BBC NewsAmazon fires size latest: Rainforest fires covering half of Brazil are visible from SPACE Express.co.ukAmazon wildfire: Parts of the Amazon rainforest are on fire — and smoke can be seen from space CBS NewsThe Amazon is burning and smoke from the fires can be seen from space USA TODAYView full coverage on Google News
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 U.S. stocks opened solidly higher on Wednesday as upbeat quarterly results from retailers Target and Lowe's helped to support early buying. Investors were also awaiting the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's July 30-31 policy gathering, which could offer insights on the central bank's decision to cut interest rates for the first time in more than a decade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 229 points, or 0.9%, to 26,196, the S&P 500 index climbed 0.8% to 2,923, while the Nasdaq Composite Index picked up 8,018, a gain of 0.9%. In corporate news, Target Corp.'s shares hit a record high following the discount retailer's report of fiscal second-quarter earnings and sales that beat expectations, while Lowe's Cos. stock also rallied after its second-quarter net income rose to $1.68 billion. In the afternoon, the Fed will publish the minutes of the July meeting of its rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee at 2 p.m. Eastern. Elsewhere, Italy's bond yields headed lower after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned on Tuesday, triggering a power struggle, while German debt yields rose after a bond auction with negative interest rates.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
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CareerBuilder crunched data on the lucrative professions that are growing at a faster rate than the national average.
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Our call of the day from Matthew Miskin, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, says he has spotted a big blind spot for U.S. investors.
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 President Trump is calling on the Fed to cut interest rates by a full percentage point. But such a step carries risks for the economy and markets.
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