US stocks rise as Fed indicates willingness to keep rates low

Markets were mixed on Wednesday.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent but the STOXX Europe 600 fell 1.1 percent and the Nikkei 225 plunged 1.2 percent.

Markets were initially shaken by US President Donald Trump's remark that he was not really happy with the progress of US-China trade talks and that his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may not go ahead as planned.

However, the release of the minutes of the last Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting later on Wednesday showed that officials were sanguine about the inflation outlook.

“The minutes from the Fed suggest they are willing to keep rates lower for longer to allow the economy to recover,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial.