Stocks, Ben Bernanke | featured news

Stocks rose Wednesday, as investors watched Fed Chief Bernanke deliver the semi-annual "Monetary Policy Report to the Congress" before the House Financial Services Committee.

U.S. stocks edged higher, bolstered by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's comments that the economy is unlikely to slide into a second recession, but worries about European finances persisted after Fitch Ratings warned that the U.K. faces budget challenges.

Stocks climbed at the open, with the market digesting a host of key earnings reports and awaiting an appraisal of the economy from Bernanke.

Investors were buoyed by comments on the US economy from the Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and sent stocks mostly higher Monday.