NEW YORK (AP) - A cheerful report on the U.S. economy, rising profits and no surprises from the Federal Reserve left the stock market nearly where it started on Wednesday.
The news was nearly all good. It scaled back its support for the economy, while pledging to keep short term interest rates low "for a considerable time" after it stops buying bonds.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index ended with a gain of 0.12 of a point, or 0.01 percent, at 1,970.07.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 31.75 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 16,880.36. The Nasdaq composite rose 20.20 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,462.90.