S&P 500 ends flat after Fed statement

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended a volatile session nearly flat on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve gave no hint that a reduction in the pace of its bond-buying program is imminent. But the index finished July up 5 percent to mark its best month since January.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 21.05 points or 0.14 percent, to finish unofficially at 15,499.54 - well off a record intraday high of 15,634.32. The S&P 500 dipped 0.24 of a point, or 0.01 percent, to end unofficially at 1,685.72. The Nasdaq Composite added 9.90 points or 0.27 percent, to close unofficially at 3,626.37. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal)