Wall Street gains, as European shares end flat

Late-day gains in US stocks buoyed a gauge of global equities today as an earlier dip attracted investors, while indicators that oil markets are amply supplied weighed on crude prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 32.04 points or 0.23 percent to 14,121.7, the S&P 500 gained 5.42 points or 0.36 percent to 1,523.62 and the Nasdaq Composite added 8.66 points or 0.27 percent to 3,178.4.

European equities finished a volatile session broadly flat today after investors balanced fresh assurances of global central bank stimulus against some disappointing earnings and political uncertainty in Italy.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index closed flat at 1,168.36 points, recovering some poise in afternoon trade after Janet Yellen became the latest US Federal Reserve official to reaffirm a commitment to its monetary easing policy for some time yet.

Japan's Nikkei average closed up 0.4 percent after briefly hitting a 53-month high as the government's nominee for central bank governor outlined a forceful policy to defeat deflation.

The Nikkei ended at 11,652.29, after reaching as high as 11,767.68, the highest level since September 2008, after nominee Haruhiko Kuroda said he would not set any limits on the amount of cash the Bank of Japan pumps into the economy.