Major U.S. indexes closed slightly mixed on Wednesday as investors reacted calmly after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged as expected and offered few clues as to when borrowing costs might fall again.

The Federal Reserve cited continued high inflation alongside strong economic growth as reasons for its decision, and explained that the labor market had shown some signs of stabilization, and removed from its previous statement a phrase that indicated a high risk of declining job opportunities.


Performance of major US stock market indices:

The Dow Jones index rose slightly by 0.02%, or 12 points, in Wednesday's session.

Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index closed unchanged after touching the 7,000-point level for the first time in its history during the session.

In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.2%, marking its sixth consecutive daily gain to close at its highest level in three months.

The seven largest companies begin announcing their earnings:

After absorbing the Federal Reserve's updates, investors turned their attention to the earnings announcements of the Big Seven companies, which led the artificial intelligence sector and drove markets to record levels.

Shares of Meta and Tesla rose by approximately 4% and 3%, respectively, in after-hours trading. While Microsoft shares fell by more than 3% following its report, shares of leading company IBM jumped 7% after its earnings announcement.

Nvidia shares :

Nvidia's stock rose 1.6% on Wednesday, recording its highest daily close in nearly three months, adding $73 billion to the company's market value in a single day.

These gains were supported by increased optimism about the profits of the artificial intelligence chip company after several companies in the semiconductor sector announced strong financial results.

SK Hynix, a major supplier to Nvidia, announced record profits in the last quarter of the year, and ASML recorded its highest ever orders in the fourth quarter, sparking a rally in the technology sector that extended from Europe to Asia.

AT&T stock :

AT&T shares rose 4.7% on Wednesday, posting their biggest one-day gain in a year after the company forecast annual earnings above market expectations.

The telecom company expects to achieve adjusted earnings of between $2.25 and $2.35 per share in 2026, exceeding expectations of $2.21, according to LSEG data.
AT&T also projected that its 2028 free cash flow would exceed $21 billion, compared to the average analyst estimate of $19.61 billion.