ACTION-READY FED: Stocks climbed back from lows after minutes from the last major Federal Reserve meeting hinted at additional action to help the economy.

GOLD GLOWS: Gold climbed $14 an ounce to $1,657, its highest level since early May, in trading after the day's official close.

THE NUMBERS: The Standard & Poor's 500 index, down most of the day, eked out a gain of 0.32 point. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 30.82. It was down as much as 83 points earlier.