Stocks ended higher on Wall Street after a day of wavering as minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting of policymakers underscored how the central bank remains determined to keep rates high to crush inflation. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq added 0.7%. Stocks had rallied earlier after the government reported that the number of job openings in November was higher than expected, which bolsters hopes that the economy can avoid sliding into a protracted recession. Crude oil prices fell and Treasury yields ended lower.
