Stocks climb ahead of Fed statement

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global equity markets rose on Wednesday, lifted by strong U.S. and European corporate earnings, as investors awaited a policy statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is expected to raise interest rates, perhaps as early as September.

The dollar was slightly higher against major currencies before the U.S. central bank was to conclude a two-day meeting at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT).

The prevalent view has been that the Fed is ready to end its near-zero interest rate policy by year-end as the world's biggest economy has dug out of the global downturn.

The market is looking at stock-specific earnings and is waiting for Fed Chair Janet Yellen to indicate a rate move will likely be sooner rather than later, so policymakers are not caught off guard and forced to be aggressive, said Ryan Larson, head of U.S. trading at RBC Global Asset Management in Chicago.

"The market at this point should expect nothing less, and if she says that, they should be no more surprised than they were yesterday," Larson said. "That's been well telegraphed, and I think she'll go right down the middle of the road."

With just over half of S&P 500 companies having reported second-quarter results, 73 percent have been above expectations, compared with a 70 percent beat rate over the past four quarters, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Shares of General Dynamics hit a record high, gaining 4.7 percent, after the company said it saw a rebound in demand for its Gulfstream business jets. The shares led a sector-wide rally for major aerospace stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 98.17 points, or 0.56 percent, to 17,728.44. The S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 9.91 points, or 0.47 percent, to 2,103.16 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 8.61 points, or 0.17 percent, to 5,097.82.

MSCI's all-country world stock index <.MIWD0000PUS> rose 0.65 percent, while the FTSEurofirst index <.FTEU3> of leading European shares closed up 1.02 percent at 1,561.48.

In Europe, carmaker Peugeot reported first-half net income for the first time in four years, boosting its shares 6 percent. Oil major Total posted higher-than-expected second-quarter profits.

Merger activity also lifted shares, with Italcementi surging 49 percent and HeidelbergCement falling 6 percent after its takeover offer.

The dollar rose 0.21 percent at 123.81 yen , while the euro was down 0.19 percent at $1.1037.

Higher U.S. Treasuries yields also supported the greenback, with the two-year yield rising to 0.708 percent. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 12/32 in price to yield 2.2949 percent [US/]

Oil prices reversed early losses and rose after weekly data showed an unexpectedly large drawdown in U.S. crude inventories.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed crude stocks fell by 4.2 million barrels last week, more than twenty times analysts' expectations for an decrease of 184,000 barrels.

Front-month Brent futures rose 50 cents to $53.80 a barrel. U.S. crude for September delivery last traded at $49.08, up $1.10 on the day.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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