04:06 PM EDT, 05/01/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity markets ended mixed Wednesday as investors evaluated the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady.

* The Federal Open Market Committee maintained its target range for the federal funds rate at 5.25% to 5.50% but noted a lack of progress in slowing down inflation. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said that is "unlikely" that the next move by the FOMC would be a hike, saying that the current level of policy restriction should be effective to bring down inflation. However, it is likely to take longer for the FOMC to gain enough confidence that inflation is moving effectively toward the 2% goal to consider rate decreases.

* The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that job openings fell to 8.49 million in March from 8.81 million in February, while hiring declined to 5.5 million from 5.78 million, remaining well below the level of openings. At the same time, the number of people quitting jobs and those laid off both declined in March.

* June West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $1.02 to $81.61 per barrel, while July Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.53 to $83.64 after the Energy Information Administration reported an unexpected rise in US crude inventories.

* Pfizer ( PFE ) shares rose 6.2% after the drugmaker's Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue beat analysts' expectations despite a year-over-year decline.

* CVS Health ( CVS ) shares dropped nearly 17% after the company's Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue missed analysts' estimates.