Stocks and many exchange-traded funds recorded modest gains Wednesday after the release of the Beige Book, a regional economic report released this afternoon by the Federal Reserve. The report showed a mix of positive and lagging indications that the economy is faring better but healing slowly.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 50 points to close at 9547. The Nasdaq climbed 23 to 2060. The S&P 500 rose 8 to close at 1033.

Most ETFs saw little movement, though many metals, energy and dedicated short-bias funds were on the other side of today's trading.

The Beige Book said the economy is stabilizing, though all 12 reporting regions of the survey reported flat retail sales and weak labor market conditions. Home sales started to pick up in some regions, and manufacturers reported cautious optimism in many others. The Fed has said it is likely to keep interest rates low for some time as the economy heals, and that has pressured the U.S. currency as signs emerge that other economies may be returning to health more quickly.

Oil prices remained stable, closing at $71.31 ahead of a meeting of OPEC oil ministers, who are expected to keep production levels unchanged. For a detailed rundown on Wednesday’s trading session, see our market story.

The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index Fund gained 2.0% after the Beige Book reported some improvement in housing in most regions of the Fed survey. The iShares Russell 2000 Growth Index fund (IWO) rose 1.8%.

The Market Vectors Gold Miners fund (GDX) gave back some recent gains, dropping 2.2% on Wednesday after profit-taking on rising gold prices. The UltraShort Real Estate ProShares fund (SRS), a double-leveraged short-bias fund, dropped 4.0% on positive housing news.

Data Point
State Street Global Advisors reported that assets in the U.S. ETF industry totaled $661 billion as of Aug. 31, after climbing $20.8 billion or 3.3% during the month. The firm said 27 ETF managers run a total of 755 exchange traded funds in the United States.

Launching Pad
Investors can get a share of physical gold bullion through a fund ETF Securities USA plans to launch Thursday. The ETFS Gold Trust (SGOL) is the only U.S. exchange-traded fund linked to bullion stored in a secured Swiss custodial vault, the company said. The fund changes an expense ratio of 0.39%.

Earnings and Conference Calls
AEP Industries, Claire's Stores, Dollar General, Finisar, Hooker Furniture, Lantronix, Lululemon Athletica, MDS, MGP Ingredients, National Semiconductor, Volt Information Sciences

Economic Data
8:30 a.m. International Trade
8:30 a.m. Jobless Claims
10:30 a.m. EIA Natural Gas Report
10:30 a.m. EIA Petroleum Status Report
4:30 p.m. Fed Balance Sheet
4:30 p.m. Money Supply