Wall St extends declines heading into close

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks extended declines late on Wednesday, with indexes down 1 percent as the Federal Reserve's decision to stand pat on its current monetary stimulus was not able to offset weak economic figures and several lackluster earnings reports.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 146.16 points, or 0.98 percent, to 14,693.64. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 15.57 points, or 0.97 percent, to 1,582.00. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 30.96 points, or 0.93 percent, to 3,297.83.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Jan Paschal)