Microsoft Up on Windows Release; Stocks Rally as Fed Holds Steady

Microsoft (MSFT) was the best performer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average Wednesday on positive critical and consumer reaction to its Windows 10 operating system release. Shares gained more than 2%. Stocks extended their gains by mid-afternoon in relief after the Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged in July. A surge in crude oil prices also helped to prop up markets, benefiting the energy sector in particular. Among the biggest gainers in the sector, Brazil's Petrobras (PBR) and mid-cap Bermuda-based SeaDrill (SDRL) climbed more than 7%. Citrix (CTXS) topped the S&P 500 after reporting a pleasing quarter. The company also announced that Jesse Cohn of activist investor firm Elliott Management would join its board of directors.