Economic data will continue to be scrutinized as investors try to determine what the awareness of the Federal Reserve is regarding the economy. Investors are angling for a half-point cut following its emergency three-quarter-point cut last week.

The Fed's coming up rate decision is obviously the market's focus this week, so trading will be marked by investors' conjectures about policymakers' thoughts on the weak economy. With a decision not expected until Wednesday afternoon, the market in the meantime digested Tuesday's data on earnings, consumer spending and durable goods.

In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 49.27, or 0.40 %, to 12,433.16.

Broader indexes were mixed. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.86, or 0.29 %, to 1,357.82, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 3.37, or 0.14 %, to 2,346.54.

The dollar was mixed against most major currencies except the yen, and gold prices rose.

Oil prices moved higher as traders waited to see what the Fed's next move will be. A barrel of light sweet crude fell 11 cents to $90.88 a barrel on the NYMEX.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.34, or 0.48 %, to 699.05.

In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei stock average rose 2.99 %; Shanghai's key index rose 0.87 %; and Hong Kong's main index rose 0.99 %. In European trading, London's FTSE rose 1.30 %; Frankfurt's DAX rose 1.31 %; and Paris' CAC rose 1.83 %.

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Bernanke  FED  Federal Reserve  Oil  Standard Poors 500  interest rate  interest rates 

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