The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that U.S. stocks extended losses, interest-rate-sensitive two-year Treasury yields dropped and the greenback slipped on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, while oil prices surged after renewed attacks across the Middle East. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says Canadian stocks closed near their lowest level of the session, with only the energy sector posting gains. The S&P/TSX Composite Index ended down 415.92 points at 35,333.78 after posting a record closing high on Tuesday, with the heavily weighted financials falling 2.9 per cent. The Fed's decision was largely expected, but three of the 12 members of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee favoured a quarter-percentage-point hike. Oil prices were up 8 per cent after air strikes resumed in the Middle East. The Dow fell 1,153.18 points, or 2.2 per cent, to 51,594.86, for its worst day since April, 2025. The S&P 500 dropped 1.5 per cent, to 7,316.39 and Nasdaq was down 1.7 per cent at 24,442.94. Meta Platforms dropped 4 per cent in extended trade. Also after the bell, Microsoft climbed 0.6 per cent after indications its massive spending on AI infrastructure was paying off.