NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed up but well below their session highs on Wednesday as investors pulled back in the last few minutes of trading despite optimism about U.S.-China trade relations and some reassuring signs in British politics.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> rose 157.03 points, or 0.64 percent, to 24,527.27, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 14.29 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,651.07 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 66.48 points, or 0.95 percent, to 7,098.31.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; editing by Jonathan Oatis)