Blue chip stocks snapped a nine session winning streak yesterday as investors took profits after the Federal Reserve, as widely expected, left interest rates unchanged.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended 12.56 points lower at 5,736.26, retreating from Monday's record high close of 5,748.82. The index had climbed 175 points in the past nine sessions.
In the broader market, declining issues led advances 1,226 to 1,144 on active trading of 409 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Nasdaq Composite index, which set its 27th high for the year on Monday, fell 3.69 points to 1,244.42.
The central bank's Federal Open Market Committee issued a brief statement at mid afternoon saying, "There is no announcement," in effect leaving the key federal funds rate unchanged at 5 1/4 per cent.
