US stocks ended higher on Wednesday as recent underperformers led a thinly traded rally that was not seen as strong enough to overcome the worries about waning global demand.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 38.45 points or 0.31 per cent to 12,394.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 4.19 points or 0.32 per cent at 1,320.47. TheNasdaq Composite Index climbed 15.22 points or 0.55 per cent to 2,761.38.