Markets mixed, Fed “some way away” from goal

Markets were mixed on Wednesday.

The S&P 500 was flat, the STOXX Europe 600 rose 0.7 percent and the Nikkei 225 fell 1.4 percent.

The Federal Reserve kept interest rates in a target range near zero, reiterating its view that the economy continues to “strengthen” despite the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

“We have some ground to cover on the labor market side,” said Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in a press conference. “I think we’re some way away from having had substantial further progress toward the maximum employment goal.”