THE NEW YORK REPORT
US stocks mostly eked out a gain yesterday, pulling back from the day’s rally after the Federal Reserve reiterated its intent to keep rates low, but gave investors few new reasons to boost holdings.
Stocks pushed higher in the hour following the FOMC statement, after the Fed kept its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged in a range of zero to 0.25 per cent.
The Dow climbed as high as 9,928.04, while the S&P 500 hit an intraday high at 1,061.00 and the Nasdaq touched 2,081.00.
But the market was unable to hold those gains as it succumbed to selling pressure in the last half-hour of trading and the Nasdaq ended slightly lower.
The Fed’s closely watched policy statement was somewhat more upbeat than its statement in September. However, it was also more explicit about why it expects to keep rates low, citing “low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations”.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 30.23 points, or 0.31 per cent, to end at 9,802.14.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index edged up 1.09 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 1,046.50.
But the Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 1.80 points, or 0.09 per cent, to close at 2,055.52.