Stocks Ended Slightly Lower after Fed Minutes

U.S. stocks ended slightly lower on Wednesday after the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s March meeting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 41.09 points, or 0.20%, to 20,648.15. The S&P 500 was down 7.21 points, or 0.31%, to 2,352.95. The Nasdaq Composite fell 34.13 points, or 0.58%, to 5,864.48.

The Federal Reserve released minutes from its March meeting, noting plans to reduce its $4.5 trillion balance sheet this year and that some Fed members thought stock prices were high relative to standard measures.

Oil futures ended modestly higher Wednesday after government data showed an unexpected rise in U.S. crude inventories, disappointing bullish traders looking for signs of shrinking stockpiles. Crude oil for May delivery rose 12 cents or 0.2%, to close at $51.15 a barrel. Brent oil rose 19 cents, or 0.4%, to close at $54.36 a barrel.

The list of companies who have pulled advertising from Fox News’ most popular show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” keeps growing longer and longer. As of Wednesday afternoon, at least 33 companies have said they are either suspending ads from 21st Century Fox’s (FOXA) conservative-leaning news network entirely, or shifted advertising to other Fox News programming.