04:58 PM EST, 11/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The S&P 500 on Wednesday advanced for the first time in five days as traders evaluated minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy meeting that indicated a growing divide among policymakers.

The index ended 0.4% higher at 6,642.2, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to 22,564.2. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1% to 46,138.8. Among sectors, technology paced the gainers, while energy saw the steepest decline.

Fed officials offered "strongly differing views" regarding the central bank's interest rate decision in December, minutes of the October meeting showed Wednesday.

"Most participants judged that further downward adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate would likely be appropriate as the committee moved to a more neutral policy stance over time, although several of these participants indicated that they did not necessarily view another 25-basis-point reduction as likely to be appropriate at the December meeting," the meeting minutes showed.

At the October meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee delivered a second straight 25-basis-point rate cut amid continued concerns regarding the labor market.

The probability that the FOMC will cut rates by another quarter percentage point next month fell to 34% Wednesday from 50% Tuesday, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The odds of rates remaining unchanged surged to 66% from 50%.

"Several" participants indicated that they would support further policy easing next month if the economy evolved as expected, while "many" seemed to back a pause, the minutes showed.

"The inconsistency in Fed messaging highlights the uncertainty regarding the outlook for policy at the final meeting of the year, as well as the broader pathway for rates into 2026," Stifel Chief Economist Lindsey Piegza said in a report.

"While at least some evidence of a further cooling in labor market data may have offered the Fed needed cover to cut rates again in October, going forward, with growth recovering at a (more than) 3% pace and inflation trending well above the central bank's target with upside risks, there is arguably very little justification, let alone a sense of urgency, to offer additional policy concessions from here, unless inflation drops sharply or the job market weakens unexpectedly," Piegza added.

US Treasury yields were higher, with the 10-year rate up 2.7 basis points at 4.14% and the two-year rate rising 1.5 basis points to 3.60%.

In company news, chipmaking giant Nvidia's ( NVDA ) shares jumped 2.9%, the top gainer on the Dow, before it released its latest financial results.

Late Wednesday, Nvidia ( NVDA ) reported fiscal third-quarter results that surpassed Wall Street's estimates as it continued to benefit from rising artificial intelligence demand.

Tech stocks, especially those tied to AI, have been under pressure lately amid concerns regarding lofty valuations.

Lowe's (LOW) was among the best performers on the S&P 500, up 4%, as the home-improvement retailer raised its full-year sales outlook after its fiscal third-quarter earnings exceeded market expectations.

Target ( TGT ) lowered the top end of its full-year earnings guidance as fiscal third-quarter comparable sales dropped more than Wall Street's estimates, while the retailer maintained a cautious outlook for the holiday season. The company's shares fell 2.8%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2% to $59.53 a barrel in Wednesday late-afternoon trade.

"Oil prices slipped as an industry report showed higher crude inventories in the US, reinforcing concerns about oversupply," D.A. Davidson said in the note.

The American Petroleum Institute reported overnight that US crude inventories rose by 4.4 million barrels over the last week, ING said in a note.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday it will not publish an October employment report.

"Establishment survey data from the Current Employment Statistics survey for October 2025 will be published with the November 2025 data," the BLS said in an update posted on its website. "Household survey data from the Current Population Survey could not be collected for the October 2025 reference period due to a lapse in appropriations."

The official jobs report for September is scheduled to be released Thursday, according to the BLS. That report was delayed due to the record-long federal government shutdown, which ended recently.

Gold was up 0.2% at $4,072.90 per troy ounce, while silver rose 0.8% to $50.95 per ounce.