(RTTNews) - The China stock market on Wednesday extended its winning streak to four sessions, collecting more than 165 points or 5.5 percent along the way. The Shanghai Composite Index finished just below the 3,130-point plateau, and now investors are looking for the market to track slightly higher when it kicks off trade on Thursday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is mixed with a touch of upside, as support from the commodities on rising prices could be offset by selling among the financial and technology sectors. The European markets were sharply higher, while the U.S. bourses ended little changed - and the Asian markets are forecast to post modest gains.

The SCI finished modestly higher on Wednesday, pushed higher by strength from the financials, pharmaceuticals and commodities.

For the day, the index was up 14.31 points or 0.46 percent to finish at 3,128.54 after trading between 3,141.45 and 3,096.35. The Shenzhen Index added 71.35 points or 0.55 percent to finish at 12,931.21 for a combined turnover of 280.75 billion yuan.

Among the gainers, China Merchants Bank added 0.53 percent, while Shanghai Pudong Development Bank gained 2.16 percent, Haitong Securities was up 1.02 percent, Changjiang Securities climbed 4.1 percent, Aluminum Corp of China jumped 3.96 percent, Zhongjin Gold Corp gained 1.78 percent, Shandong Gold Mining added 2.11 percent, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Company climbed 2.2 percent and Southwest Pharmaceutical was up 1.33 percent.

Wall Street provides little guidance as stocks closed mixed for a second straight session on Wednesday, giving up earlier gains following news that the Federal Reserve left interest rates near record lows amid continued economic concerns. The major averages finished on opposite sides of the unchanged mark, extending their lackluster performance.

The choppy trading came after the Fed left its target for the federal funds rate unchanged in a range from zero to a quarter percent and reiterated its assessment that "exceptionally" low rates will continue for an "extended period."

Heading into the announcement, the Fed was expected to leave rates unchanged, though there had been some expectation that the central bank would start to pave the way for an eventual rate hike down the road.

The equity markets saw considerable upside this morning as traders bought into the market despite a pair of rather lukewarm economic reports.

The Institute for Supply Management said that activity in the service sector grew for the second consecutive month in October, but the pace of growth unexpectedly slowed compared to the previous month. The index of activity in the service sector edged down to 50.6 in October from 50.9 in September, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in the sector. The decrease by the index came as a surprise to economists, who had expected the index to rise to 51.5.

Separately, Automatic Data Processing, Inc. reported that private sector employment continued to decrease in the month of October, although the pace of job losses slowed for the seventh consecutive month. Non-farm private employment fell by 203,000 jobs in October following a revised decrease of 227,000 jobs in September. Economists had expected a loss of 198,000 jobs compared to the decrease of 254,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.

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