Stocks opened higher on Wednesday as oil and commodity prices rose, benefiting shares of natural resource companies.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> added 54.42 points, or 0.64 percent, to 8,501.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 4.87 points, or 0.53 percent, to 924.19. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 10.13 points, or 0.55 percent, to 1,845.17.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

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