1. "Based on its current assessment, the committee judges that it can be patient in beginning to normalize the stance of monetary policy," the Fed said in a statement. Significantly, the Fed said it viewed that statement as "consistent" with its previous language that it would be a "considerable time" before it hiked rates.
2. The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it could raise near-zero short-term interest rates within months amid an accelerating economy despite low inflation that has been subdued by falling oil prices.
But it hedged its intentions amid conflicting economic indicators, sending a mix of signals to financial markets.