Stocks ended lower Wednesday as the rally after the Federal Reserve's statement faded and investors began to worry that the central bank is inching closer to withdrawing stimulus measures that have propped up the economy. The Dow had briefly popped above 9,900.

Stocks snapped their winning streak Thursday after soaring this week to new highs for the year.

Stocks closed sharply higher as a day-long rally gained steam after the Federal Reserve said the recession would end soon but that unemployment will continue rising.

Technology stocks rose more than 2 percent Wednesday following encouraging earnings, while a slew of economic reports fueled the notion the economy was showing stronger signs of a turnaround and boosted the broader market.

Wall Street has reestablished positive momentum, and that's likely to continue Wednesday morning after Intel beat expectations with its after-the-bell earnings report late Tuesday, and issued guidance that was well above consensus as well.