In a widely expected move, the Federal Reserve issued a 0.25 percent interest rate hike today, signaling a slowdown in the central bank's hawkish campaign. This is the Fed's smallest such raise following eight-straight hikes, though it said it expects "ongoing" increases. In a follow-up press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said to expect restrictive measures going forward. After falling this afternoon, the Dow closed just above breakeven, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also rose, with the latter securing a triple-digit win.

OIL FALLS SHARPLY ON SUPPLY INCREASES

The price of oil plunged on Wednesday after the Energy Information Administration saw U.S. crude supplies climb by 4.1 million barrels -- its sixth-straight week of increases. In addition, gasoline and distillate stockpiles also gained for the week. For the session, March-dated crude fell $2.46, or roughly 3.1%, to settle at $76.41 per barrel.

The Fed's interest rate hike weighed on gold today, with bullion settling slightly lower on the session. April-dated gold shed $2.50, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,942.80 per ounce for the day.

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