Wall Street closes mixed before Fed meeting

NEW YORK

Wall Street closed mixed Tuesday as investors refrained from making moves ahead of a Federal Reserve's interest rate decision and statements about the general outlook of the economy.

The Dow Jones fell 19 points to end the day at 18,474 and the S&P 500 gained less than a point to reach 2,169. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq increased 12 points to 5,110 and erased all of its losses for the year to end at its highest level in 2016.

Crude prices continued to slide with oversupply concerns and low demand in the global oil market.

At the final bell, the American benchmark was down 0.7 percent to $42.78, and international benchmark Brent crude was down 0.1 percent to $45.08.

The Fed will make a statement Wednesday at the conclusion of its two-day July meeting. Although the bank is not expected change interest rates, it may signal a rate hike for its September or December meetings.