Stocks End Mostly Lower After Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged

U.S. stocks closed mostly lower Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, as widely expected, and deemed a recent patch of economic weakness as temporary. The main indexes traded in a narrow range over the past several sessions, unable to break to new highs. The S&P 500 closed 3.06 points, or 0.1%, lower at 2,388.11. Earlier the index was pressured by losses in Apple Inc. , the largest company by market capitalization. But Apple recouped most of the losses to end only slightly lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed virtually unchanged at 20,957.53. The Nasdaq Composite shed 22.82 points, or 0.4%, to 6,072.55, retreating from its record close set on Tuesday.