Stocks Stay Afloat After Fed Comments

Updated from 2:21 p.m. EDT

Stocks in the U.S. got a nudge higher Wednesday afternoon as the Federal Reserve voted to leave overnight bank lending rates unchanged.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 101 points at 11,908, and the S&P 500 was adding 20 points to 1334. The Nasdaq was up 52 points at 2420.

As expected, the Fed opted to leave its fed funds target interest rate unchanged after concluding a two-day meeting. The question surrounded what the Fed's policymaking arm, the Federal Open Market Committee, would offer in its assessment of the economy. ...