Stocks fall as federal reserve gives mixed messages on interest rates hike

Stocks posted solid losses as investors got mixed signals from the Federal Reserve over the possibility of an interest rate hike in September.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 162.61 points, or 0.9%, to 17,348.73. The Standard and Poor’s 500 index lost 17.31 points, or 0.8%, to 2,079.61 and the Nasdaq composite index lost 40.30 points, or 0.8%, to 5,019.05.