Stocks: Wall Street opened slightly higher on Wednesday after data from China appeared to make the case for further stimulus measures from Beijing, even as investors brace for a possible U.S. interest rate hike in December.
The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI) was up 23.38 points, or 0.13 percent, at 17,781.59, the S&P 500 (SPX) was up 4.01 points, or 0.19 percent, at 2,085.73 and the Nasdaq Composite index (IXIC) was up 14.88 points, or 0.29 percent, at 5,098.13.
Forex: The U.S. dollar slipped lower against its Canadian counterpart on Wednesday, but still remained within close distance of a one-month peak as expectations for a December rate hike in the U.S. continued to support.
USD/CAD hit 1.3235 during early U.S. trade, the pair's lowest since November 6; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.3238, shedding 0.27%.
The pair was likely to find support at 1.3152, the low of November 6 and resistance at 1.3316, the high of November 6 and a one-month high.
Commodities: Gold prices languished near three-month lows on Wednesday, while copper prices fell to the lowest level since July 2009, as the possibility of higher borrowing costs in the U.S. and slower global economic growth weighed on the metals.
Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down $1.10, or 0.1%, to trade at $1,087.40 a troy ounce during U.S. morning hours. A day earlier, gold prices tacked on 40 cents, or 0.04%.
Stocks: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd (N:BABA) said on Wednesday the value of merchandise it has sold so far during the Singles' Day online shopping extravaganza had surpassed last year's total of $9.3 billion.
The company, which six years ago turned Nov. 11 into China's equivalent of U.S. shopping event Cyber Monday, could see this year's sales rise to as much as $13.8 billion, a growth of almost 50 percent from last year's total, according to research firm IDC.
Economic Indicators: Industrial production in China hit seven-month low in October while spending on infrastructure slowed, data on Wednesday showed.
The data added to signs that more stimulus may be needed to shore up growth in the world's second biggest economy.
Factory output grew at an annual rate of 5.6% in October, the weakest in seven months.
Fixed asset investment expanded 10.2% in the year to October, in line with expectations but the slowest pace since 2000.
But retail sales, a key gauge of consumer spending, held up well for the month, growing 11% from a year earlier.
Ask us about our FREE financial advice program: 
Other Top Stories:
Technical Analysis Lesson 1 - Introduction
How I Made Over $30,000 a Year by Investing in Binary Options
Follow us and SHARE this story on Facebook: 
