Fed holds steady | Time to buy in coronavirus scare? | A Bernie wake-up call

Stocks rose as the Federal Reserve held steady on interest rates.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE WED, JAN 29, 2020 EVENING BRIEF AS OF WED, JAN 29, 2020 • 04:08 ET DJIA 28734.45 +0.04% +11.60 S&P 500 3273.40 -0.09% -2.84 NASDAQ 9275.16 +0.06% +5.48   Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 324.34 +6.65 +2.09% PFE 37.58 -0.56 -1.47% MSFT 168.04 +2.58 +1.56% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG GE 12.94 +1.21 +10.32% AMD 47.51 -3.02 -5.98% T 37.05 -1.53 -3.97% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 47.51 -3.02 -5.98% AAPL 324.34 +6.65 +2.09% MSFT 168.04 +2.58 +1.56% EDITOR'S NOTE There will come a time to bet on the coronavirus outbreak and that time may be Thursday when the World Health Organization meets to decide whether the outbreak has become a global health emergency.   If the group makes such a determination, it's time to buy - or at least that's the counterintuitive theory posited by Ned Davis Research. The firm surveyed worldwide health emergencies - including SARS in 2003, bird flu in 2004, Ebola in 2014 and Zika in 2016 - and found that stocks typically underperform in the months preceding the official declaration of a global emergency, CNBC's Pippa Stevens writes. Then equities begin to recover and move steadily higher.  Stocks rose Wednesday as the Federal Reserve announced its latest decision, which was to hold interest rates just where they are.   The central bank's chairman, Jerome Powell, said the Fed is monitoring the coronavirus situation and its effects on the global economy. To be sure, it's already a human tragedy: More than 6,000 people have been infected and 132 killed.   "The situation is in its early stages," Powell said, "and it's very uncertain how far it will spread."   Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world. Al Lewis | CNBC Markets Editor @tellittoal TOP NEWS  Dow rises after the Fed leaves rates unchanged Fed holds rates steady, affirms commitment to higher inflation Fed boosts interest rate on bank reserves WHO officials say coronavirus spread outside of China is of 'grave concern' Major US companies are warning about the potential impact of the coronavirus on earnings calls The bond market is starting to get worried about a recession again The time to buy the market amid the coronavirus scare is near, history shows Boeing posts first annual loss in more than two decades as 737 Max crisis drags on Iowa vote Monday could be a wake-up call for stock market if leading candidate Bernie Sanders wins Elizabeth Warren proposes criminal penalties for spreading voting disinformation online     TOP VIDEO Watch CNBC's full interview with Boeing CEO David Calhoun   CNBC PRO Bank of America upgrades GE, says earnings give it 'more confidence' in the turnaround story   SPECIAL REPORTS Stocks are teetering near a 10% pullback, thanks to risks like coronavirus, investor Jeff Mills warns Nearly a third of Nasdaq 100 stocks are in a correction, but two names look like a buy   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS