U.S. market indexes were lower Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 24,797.78 for a loss of -166.97 points or -0.67%. The S&P 500 Index closed at 2,701.33 for a loss of -14.93 points or -0.55%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 7,218.23 for a loss of -16.08 points or -0.22%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower at 19.63 for a loss of -0.97 points or -4.71%.
Wednesday’s market movers
U.S. market indexes turned lower in afternoon trading after the Federal Open Market Committee released its Jan. 31 minutes. The Committee left the federal funds rate unchanged at 1.25% to 1.5%. It also reported a stronger economy and the potential for further rate increases in 2018, which has been a factor causing losses in stock values recently.
Other economic reports affecting market trading on Wednesday included the following:
- The Mortgage Bankers Association’s mortgage applications index decreased by -6.6% for the week.
- The Purchasing Managers Index Composite increased to 55.9 from 53.8.
- Existing home sales decreased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.380 million.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led losses:
In the broad market, real estate, energy and utilities led losses.
Small-cap stocks
In small-caps, the Russell 2000 Index closed at 1,531.83 for a gain of 1.84 points or 0.12%. The S&P 600 closed at 934.93 for a gain of 1.99 points or 0.21%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 9,508.75 for a loss of -1.54 points or -0.02%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index closed at 9,929.30 for a loss of -5.98 points or -0.06%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1,884.04 for a loss of -4.23 points or -0.22%; the S&P 100 at 1,194.38 for a loss of -6.33 points or -0.53%; the Russell 3000 at 1,596.33 for a loss of -7.66 points or -0.48%; the Russell 1000 at 1,495.84 for a loss of -7.90 points or -0.53%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 687.21 for a loss of -4.92 points or -0.71%.
