* Fed minutes show debate on inflation prospects, rate path
* Wall St closes higher after Politico cites Powell for Fed chair
* Spain relief lifts euro, dollar limps around two-week lows (Updates to close, adds commentary)
By Sinead Carew
NEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks rose on Wednesday as the minutes from the Federal Reserve's September policy meeting merely confirmed expectations that interest rates would rise, while the euro gained on the dollar after Catalonia held off on moving to independence.
Currency investors pushed the dollar to a two-week low against a basket of currencies, as they also eyed signs of inflation concerns at the Fed. Fed minutes showed policymakers in a prolonged debate about the prospects of a pickup in inflation and the path of future interest rate rises if inflation did not rise. changes the opinion that the Fed is likely to hike rates after the December meeting," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.
The dollar index .DXY fell 0.34 percent. The euro EUR= rose 0.4 percent to $1.1857. up 0.09 percent56.6651.02rose 0.2 percent to
Wall Street's three major stock indexes posted record closing highs following a late pick-up in trading after Politico reported that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was pushing President Donald Trump to name Jerome Powell as the next Fed chair, to succeed Janet Yellen, whose term expires in February. Powell is seen as a safe pick for financial markets.
A rise in defensive sectors such as utilities was partly offset by declines in cyclicals such as financials a day before U.S. banks' quarterly reporting season kicks off. Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 42.21 points, or 0.18 percent, to 22,872.89, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 4.6 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,555.24, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 16.30 points, or 0.25 percent, to 6,603.55. Treasuries were little changed after the Fed minutes and after the Treasury Department saw solid demand for three-year and 10-year note supply. stood out in the minutes, said Subadra Rajappa, head of U.S. rates strategy at Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) in New York.
"We go back to focusing on inflation, that's really where we need more clarity to get a sense of where things are headed for the rest of the year," Rajappa said.
Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last fell 3/32 in price to yield 2.3535 percent, from 2.345 percent late on Tuesday.
The 30-year bond US30YT=RR last fell 4/32 in price to yield 2.8864 percent, from 2.881 percent late on Tuesday.
The euro reached a roughly two-week high after Catalonia's leader, Carles Puigdemont, declined to make a formal independence declaration on Tuesday to allow for talks with Madrid That disappointed many pro-independence supporters but pleased financial markets.
A 1.3 percent jump in Spain's IBEX .IBEX more than reversed the previous session's fall while the broader equities market had a lackluster performance.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 lost 0.01 percent and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS gained 0.18 percent.
Oil prices were virtually unchanged on Wednesday as Saudi Arabia said it pumped more in September than in August, even as OPEC forecast higher demand for 2018. crude CLcv1 rose 0.2 percent to $51.02 per barrel and Brent LCOcv1 was last at $56.66, up 0.09 percent. prices were barely up after declining in the previous session. Spot gold XAU= added 0.3 percent to $1,291.70 an ounce.
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http://reut.rs/2sSBRiD World GDP
http://reut.rs/2xvTxGV Global assets in 2017
http://reut.rs/1WAiOSC Graphic: World FX rates in 2017
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
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