U.S. stocks finished sharply higher on Wednesday, with all three benchmarks posting their best day of gains in about a month. The Bank of Canada lifted its overnight target rate by three-quarter percentage points to 3.25%, following a surprise increase of a full percentage point in July. The European Central Bank could lift rates as much as 75 basis points on Thursday. Nifty is looking for direction over the past few days and has outperformed the other countries by recovering from lows – whether intra day or otherwise. Nifty could face resistance at 17,777 while 17,468 could provide support in the near term. Indian markets could open higher, in line with mostly higher Asian markets today and positive US markets on Wednesday.