Stocks Ended Mostly Lower after Fed Held Rates Steady

U.S. stocks ended mostly lower on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 81.37 points, or 0.32%, to 25,333.82. The S&P 500 lost 2.93 points, or 0.10%, to 2,813.36. The Nasdaq Composite added 35.50 points, or 0.46%, to 7,707.29.

Oil finished lower Wednesday, after official U.S. data revealed an unexpected climb of nearly 4 million barrels in domestic crude supplies. September West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.10, or 1.6%, to settle at $67.66 a barrel. October Brent crude lost $1.82, or nearly 2.5%, to $72.39 a barrel.

The Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark interest rate target unchanged amid what it calls a “strong” period for economic growth and job creation. The Fed kept its benchmark target range at 1.75%-2% in its latest policy statement, in-line with expectations from investors ahead of the announcement.

Tesla Inc. reported mixed results in the second quarter, posting a wider-than-expected adjusted loss but slightly beating revenue forecasts. It lost $718 million, or $4.22, in the quarter, compared with $336 million, or $2.04 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $4 billion from $2.77 billion a year ago.