How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday

Major U.S. stock indexes ended slightly lower on Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged near zero, even as it noted recent improvement in the economy.

The S&P 500 ended down just 0.1% after some earlier gains evaporated. Investors were also dealing with a wave of earnings reports from major U.S. companies and looking ahead to an evening speech from President Joe Biden to lay out his $1.8 trillion spending plan.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 fell 3.54 points, or 0.1%, to 4,183.18.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 164.55 points, or less than 0.5%, to 33,820.38.

The Nasdaq fell 39.19 points, or 0.3%, to 14,051.03.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 2.89 points, or 0.1% to 2,304.16.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 3.01 points, or 0.1%.

The Dow is down 223.11 points, or 0.7%.

The Nasdaq is up 34.22 points, or 0.2%.

The Russell 2000 is up 32.30 points, or 1.4%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 427.11 points, or 11.4%.

The Dow is up 3,213.90 points, or 10.5%.

The Nasdaq is up 1,162.75 points, or 9%.

The Russell 2000 is up 329.30 points, or 16.7%.