<p>U.S. stocks climbed on Wednesday despite a weak final reading on first-quarter GDP.</p><p>Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.8 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said in its final estimate on Wednesday. Output was previously reported to have risen at a 2.4 percent pace. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-quarter GDP to be left unrevised at 2.4 percent. </p><p>The data comes on the heels of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments last week that the U.S. central bank would likely begin to slow the pace of its bond-buying stimulus program later this year.</p><p>On the economic calendar for Thursday: weekly jobless claims, personal income & consumer spending, the Core PCE price index, and pending home sales.</p><p>As of 10:17am Eastern, the Dow Jones industrial average .DJIA gained 106.52 points, or 0.72 percent, to 14,866.83. The Standard and Poor's 500 Index rose 10.51 points, or 0.65 percent, to 1,598.43.</p><p> </p>
