Stocks Ended Mixed as Investors Focused on Fed

U.S. stocks ended mixed  on Thursday as investors parsed through Fed commentary suggesting a rate cut may not necessarily be the central bank’s next move. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 49.51 points, or 0.19%, to 26,252.24. The S&P 500 was down 1.48 points, or 0.05%, to 2,922.95. The Nasdaq Composite fell 28.82 points, or 0.36%, to 7,991.39.

Oil futures ended lower on Thursday, weighed down by expectations for surplus supplies. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery fell 33 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $55.35 a barrel. October Brent crude shed 38 cents, or 0.6%, to $59.92 a barrel.

Salesforce.com Inc. reported second-quarter net income of $91 million, or 11 cents a share, compared with $299 million, or 39 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings were 66 cents a share. Revenue rose to a few million dollars shy of $4 billion from $3.28 billion in the year-ago quarter.