World Stocks Cautiously Higher Ahead of High Stakes Fed Decision

World Stocks Cautiously Higher Ahead of High Stakes Fed Decision
A woman walks past a screen displaying the Hang Seng Index at Central district, in Hong Kong, on March 21, 2023. Tyrone Siu/Reuters
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LONDON—World stocks were cautiously higher on Wednesday as hopes that a banking crisis would be averted were tempered by uncertainty before a Federal Reserve meeting that sees the central bank caught between taming inflation and maintaining stability.

Data showing British inflation unexpectedly rose to 10.4 percent in February boosted expectations for a quarter point rate hike at Thursday’s Bank of England meeting, lifting sterling.