U.S. stocks closed lower Wednesday as the energy sector expanded losses after U.S. crude settled at its lowest since March 2009. In U.S. economic news, The Federal Open Market Committee stuck to its vow to be "patient" on hiking interest rates and raised its view of the economy and labor market, even as the central bank said it anticipates inflation to fall further in the near term. The dollar gained against the currencies of major U.S. trading partners. Light sweet crude oil for March delivery declined $1.78 to $44.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold shed $5.80 to $1,285.90 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 195.84, or 1.1 percent, at 17,191.37. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 27.39, or 1.4 percent, to 2,002.16. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index declined 43.50, or 0.9 percent, to 4,637.99.
