The S&P 500 rose Wednesday, attempting to recover from a three-day decline, as investors awaited more clarity on the Federal Reserve's fight against inflation.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 59.64 points, off its daily highs, to end the day at 32,969.23.
The S&P 500 moved forward 12.04 points to 4,140.77.
The NASDAQ Composite added 50.23 points to 12,431.53.
Consumer discretionary, real estate and communication services were the best-performing sectors in the S&P 500. Meanwhile, utilities, materials and consumer staples were market laggards.
Cruise lines were among the best-performing stocks in the broader market index. The Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings jumped 8%, Royal Caribbean Group advanced 7%, and Carnival was 5% higher.
In contrast, Advance Auto Parts was the worst-performer in the S&P 500, down 9.5%, after missing earnings expectations and lowering its full-year guidance.
The three-day Jackson Hole, Wyoming economic symposium starts Thursday with Powell slated to speak Friday morning. Fed watchers expect him to reinforce the central bank's goal of squashing inflation and keeping expectations about future price gains in check.
Treasury prices lost ground, lifting yields to 3.11% from Tuesday's 3.06%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite direction.
Oil prices regained $1.58 to $95.32 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices picked up $4.40 to $1,765.60 U.S. an ounce.