U.S. Stocks End Sharply Lower After Fed Statement

U.S. stocks finished sharply lower Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and said "economic growth slowed" since its last meeting in December, but was seen leaving the door open to a rate hike in March. Dow industrials, which had turned a 150-point drop to a modest gain earlier in the session, declined again after the announcement. Meanwhile, large losses from corporate heavyweights Apple Inc. and Boeing Company after disappointing earnings accounted for much of the drop in the Dow. The S&P 500 declined 21 points, or 1.1%, to 1,883, led by a 2.5% fall in tech stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 223 points, or 1.4% at 16,095. The Nasdaq Composite ended the day down 100 points, or 2.2%, at 4,468.