Stocks rising before Fed issues report

U.S. stocks advanced Wednesday morning before the Federal Reserve's policy statement expected in the afternoon, with the central bank expected to hold interest rates near zero, while Apple Inc. rose following its earnings report.

At midmorning on Wall Street, The Dow Jones industrial average had risen 103.1 points, about 0.6 percent, to 17,684.6. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13.5 points, about 0.6 percent, to 2,079.2. The Nasdaq composite had gained 25.3 points, about 0.5 percent, to 5,055.6.

CRUDE ENERGY: About the same time, the price of U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 41 cents, about 1 percent, to $43.61 a barrel in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

MAKING MOVES: Apple added 1.9 percent after its results exceeded estimates and it forecast record holiday sales.

Energy companies rose for the first time in four days, following oil higher. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. jumped following a report that it's in talks to be acquired by Hyatt Hotels Corp. Akamai Technologies Inc. slumped 20 percent as its outlook disappointed.

Twitter Inc. tumbled 8.2 percent after predicting weaker-than-estimated sales growth. Stock indexes are mixed in early trading Wednesday, while several individual companies were making big moves on earnings and deal news.

This story was compiled with reports from Bloomberg News and The Associated Press.