No help from the Fed pause: US equities close lower | Forexlive US stocks attempted to stage a rally when Powell said the change in language in the FOMC statement was ‘meaningful’ but that was later washed away as worries about regional banks and a hard landing resurfaced. S&P 500 -0.7% DJIA -0.8% Nasdaq Comp -0.5% Russell 2000 +0.5% Toronto TSX Comp -0.2%