US stocks tick up after Federal Reserve’s rate decision

Stocks are extending their gains Wednesday on Wall Street, following the Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged at nearly zero

NEW YORK — Stocks moved broadly higher in afternoon trading Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signaled its decision to leave interest rates unchanged at nearly zero. The central bank also issued a slightly less dire outlook for economic growth and unemployment.

The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher after having been up just 0.2% before the 2 p.m. Eastern Fed announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 295 points, or 1.1%, to 28,292, while the Nasdaq was up 0.2% after having been down 0.6% earlier. Treasury yields were up after an early slide following a report showing U.S. retail sales rose less last month than expected.

The Fed said it has adjusted its inflation target to seek price increases above 2% annually, a move that will likely keep interest rates low for years to come. Fed officials also indicated in a set of economic projections that they expect the rate to stay there at least through 2023. That interest rate influences borrowing costs for homebuyers, credit card users and businesses.

The central bank predicted that the nation’s GDP would fall by 3.7% this year compared to a June forecast of a 6.5% drop. The Fed also projected unemployment of 7.6% at the end of the year, instead of the 9.3% it projected in June. The unemployment rate, which hit a high of 14.7% in April, declined to 8.4% in August.

Banks, industrial stocks and energy companies led the way higher, offsetting losses in technology and communications stocks. Smaller stocks were climbing more than the rest of the market, and the Russell 2000 index of small-caps was up 2.1%.

One of the primary reasons Wall Street has roared back to record heights despite the still-raging pandemic is the immense aid from the Federal Reserve. The central bank has cut short-term rates to nearly zero and is buying all kinds of bonds to support markets. Fed Chair Jerome Powell outlined a new strategy last month of providing support even if inflation rises above its target level.

“Don’t fear the Federal Reserve, and don’t fear them making a policy mistake that hurts economic expansion any time in the next three years,” said Mike Zigmont, director of trading and research at Harvest Volatility Management.

Investors may be relying too much on the Fed to come to the market’s rescue if it stumbles again though, Zigmont said.

“If the Fed says we won’t ruin the party that’s not same as saying they’re going to juice the party up even more,” Zigmont said.

FedEx jumped 6.8% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 after reporting stronger profit growth for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The boom in online shopping caused by the coronavirus pandemic has helped its revenue climb. The company said that the growth it expected to see over the next three to five years has happened in just three to five months.

Wall Street has resumed its upward lift this week following a tumultuous two-week stretch where high-flying technology stocks abruptly lost their momentum. Big Tech stocks soared through much of the pandemic as investors increasingly bet their strong growth will continue as more of everyday life shifts online.

The gains were so powerful and consistent for these superstar stocks that critics warned they had become too expensive, and they tumbled sharply after carrying the S&P 500 to a record on Sept. 2. But they’ve stabilized this week. Their strong growth should continue to look very attractive to investors in a slow-growth economy if the Fed does indeed keep interest rates low for years as markets expect.

The economy has made some improvements since the worst of the lockdowns in the spring, but the budding recovery has been fitful. Investors say the economy and markets still crucially need all the support they can get from the Federal Reserve, as well as Congress.

“If coronavirus disappears then we’re dealing with normal risks,” Zigmont said. “If it resurges, all the usual things that investors take into account, all the projections for the next two years go out the window.”

Federal unemployment benefits and other Congressional aid for the economy approved earlier this year have expired, but partisan disagreements on Capitol Hill have prevented a renewal.

A report on Wednesday showed that U.S. retail sales strengthened last month, but less than economists expected. At least part of the shortfall is likely because unemployed workers are no longer getting the $600 boost to their weekly checks that used to come from the federal government.

Treasury yields dipped following the retail sales report, and the yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 0.68%.

Earlier, a separate report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development had said the global economy is not doing as badly as previously expected, especially in the United States and China. It projected the world’s economy will shrink by 4.5% this year, less than the 6% plunge it had predicted in June.

Stock markets around the world were mostly subdued.

In Europe, the German DAX rose 0.3% and the French CAC 40 rose 0.1%. The FTSE 100 in London fell 0.4%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.1%, but other markets were weaker. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was virtually flat, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.3%, and stocks in Shanghai lost 0.4%.

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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.