NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks extended gains on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve gave a strong signal that it was on track to raise interest rates sometime next year, suggesting confidence in the U.S. economy.
At 2:04 p.m., the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 248.56 points, or 1.46 percent, to 17,317.43, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 32.99 points, or 1.67 percent, to 2,005.73 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 63.71 points, or 1.4 percent, to 4,611.55.
(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
