Stocks end mixed after Fed notes progress

Stocks ended a wobbly day with mixed results Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said it was seeing improvement in the economy, but not enough to start dialing down its support for it.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.4% and the Nasdaq added 0.7%. Small-company stocks rose. The latest company earnings have been broadly solid, though reactions from investors have been mixed. Pfizer and Boeing rose after reporting strong financial results

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steady at 1.23%.