How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday 9/16/2026

Audio By Carbonatix

U.S. stocks fell after the Federal Reserve hiked its main interest rate for the first time in three years and suggested more increases may be ahead as it tries to get the nation’s high inflation under control.

The S&P 500 sank 0.4% Wednesday after giving up a modest gain from earlier in the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped less than 0.1%.

Stocks turned lower after the Fed’s chairman said repeatedly in a press conference following its decision that inflation remains too high and the U.S. economy appears to be strengthening.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 fell 33.92 points, or 0.4%, to 7,551.81.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 631.21 points, or 1.2%, to 51,461.90.

The Nasdaq composite fell 3.15 points, or less than 0.1%, to 25,978.42.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 11.47 points, or 0.4%, to 2,858.81.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is down 105.17 points, or 1.4%.

The Dow is down 1,111.39 points, or 2.1%.

The Nasdaq is down 354.61 points, or 1.3%.

The Russell 2000 is down 45.13 points, or 1.6%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 706.31 points, or 10.3%.

The Dow is up 3,398.61 points, or 7.1%.

The Nasdaq is up 2,736.43 points, or 11.8%.

The Russell 2000 is up 376.90 points, or 15.2%.