US Equity Indexes Mixed After Fed Rate Hike

03:05 PM EDT, 09/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US Equity indexes were mixed ahead of the close on Wednesday after the Federal Open Market Committee raised the target range for its federal funds rate to 3.75% to 4.00% on a 12-0 vote. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 26,110.9, the S&P 500 gained 0.1% to 7,591.1, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4% to 51,868.5. Median expectations in the Summary of Economic Projections now show a further rate hike this year, as the median expectation was adjusted up to 4.1% from 3.8% in the earlier June update. The SEP indicated an upward revision to inflation expectations for 2026, with PCE inflation unlikely to fall to the 2% goal until 2029. The US unemployment rate is expected to end 2026 at 4.1% and remain there in the upcoming years, while GDP growth is expected to be 2.3% at the end of the year before falling to 2.4% in 2027 and 2.2% in 2028.