US stocks turn positive as Fed pledges support

The S&P 500 turned positive on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve repeated its promise of support for the economy.

But Fed policymakers, in the latest policy statement, projected a 6.5% decline in gross domestic product this year and a 9.3% unemployment rate at year's end.

The S&P 500 was off as much as 0.8% before the Fed statement. "Heading into this meeting we didn't expect any policy changes. The Fed is committed to keeping current easing measures in place and it acknowledged that risks remain," said Charlie Ripley, senior market strategist for Allianz Investment Management in Minneapolis.


The pledge to keep monetary policy loose until the U.S. economy is back on track repeats a promise made early in the central bank's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gains were led by the technology sector, and the Nasdaq was up more than 1%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 62.33 points, or 0.23%, to 27,334.63, the S&P 500 gained 14.7 points, or 0.46%, to 3,221.88 and the Nasdaq Composite added 127.12 points, or 1.28%, to 10,080.87.