(CNBC) — U.S. stocks advanced on Wednesday, with Wall Street's volatility unabated, as investors largely adopted the view that the European Central Bank would implement a large-scale bond-purchasing program.
UnitedHealth Group rose after posting a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit; International Business Machines fell after the Dow component offered a tepid outlook; Netflix gained after the supplier of streaming videos reported earnings that beat estimates.
Multiple news outlets quoted sources in reporting the ECB's executive board had proposed monthly bond purchases of roughly 50 billion euros in a quantitative easing program that would last at least a year.
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