U.S. stocks higher at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.48%

US stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average increasing 0.48%. Technology, Oil & Gas, and Industrials sectors drove the gains. On the Dow, Caterpillar Inc (CAT) led the pack with a 2.91% rise, hitting 601.61, while NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) climbed 2.87% to 173.73 and Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) gained 2.66% to 100.76.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) was the worst performer, dropping 2.61% to 274.80. On the S&P 500, Micron Technology Inc (MU) surged 11.89% to 811.30, Dell Technologies Inc (DELL) rose 11.75% to 373.68, and Seagate Technology PLC (STX) gained 9.99% to 551.72. Airbnb Inc (ABNB) dropped 3.09% to 181.13, Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU) fell 2.65% to 107.45, and McDonald's Corporation (MCD) declined 2.61% to 274.80.

On the NASDAQ Composite, NextNRG Inc (NXXT) soared 811.53% to 1.70, Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust Inc (WHLR) increased 133.36% to 0.75, and Socket Mobile Inc (SCKT) climbed 84.91% to 0.46. McDonald's Corporation (MCD) saw its shares drop to all-time lows, falling 70.94% to 0.68. The CBOE Volatility Index decreased 10.17% to 17.48.

Gold Futures for December delivery fell 0.96% to $3,991.62 an ounce, while Crude oil for December delivery rose 0.44% to $86.42 a barrel, and January Brent oil climbed 1.18% to $92.57 a barrel. EUR/USD fell 0.68% to 1.11, and USD/JPY rose 0.68% to 159.83. The US Dollar Index Futures increased 0.70% to 102.85.