U.S. stock-index benchmarks were trading slightly higher early Thursday as investors digested commentary from the Federal Reserve and looked ahead to a speech from its chairman. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.30% was up by about 20 points, or less than 0.1%, at 25,749, while the S&P 500 index SPX, -0.17% was flat at 2,866 but within reach of a historic high, and the Nasdaq Composite Index was up 0.4% at 7,920. In corporate news, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA, -3.16% was trading higher after a quarterly update. On Wednesday, minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's most recent meeting indicated that policy makers are keen to raise rates in September but mindful of the impact of trade clashes between the U.S. and China and the potential for those disputes to hurt the global economy. Separately, on Friday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is set to deliver a speech about monetary policy that investors will watch closely for further clues about the central bank's agenda. Markets continue to weigh the political drama in the White House, while President Donald Trump said that removing him from office would result in the market crashing during an interview with the Fox News morning program "Fox & Friends" that aired Thursday.
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