U.S. stock-index rose slightly, a day after Wall Street saw its biggest reversal in 14 months following signals that the Federal Reserve could start unwinding its balance sheet this year. Optimism was provided by lower-than-expected initial claims.

Stocks:

Nikkei 18,597.06 -264.21 -1.40%

Hang Seng 24,273.72 -127.08 -0.52%

Shanghai 3,281.60 +11.29 +0.35%

FTSE 7,301.56 -30.12 -0.41%

CAC 5,106.41 +14.56 +0.29%

DAX 12,195.13 -22.41 -0.18%

Crude $51.43 (+0.55%)

Gold $1,253.80 (+0.42%)