Stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as the Federal Reserve called time out after a series of interest rate cuts, dampening Wall Street's pre-Christmas rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended up 55 points, or 0.62%, at 9,044.46.

But in the broader market, declining issues led advances 1,732 to 1,251 on active volume of 678 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

The technology-laced Nasdaq composite index fell 17 points, or 0.80%, to 2,120 a day after closing at a new high.

"The techs have risen pretty dramatically and were up for some profit-taking," said Barry Hyman, market strategist for Ehrenkrantz, King Nussbam Inc. "I think people were seeking a little bit of safety in the Dow stocks."

The Standard & Poor's composite index of 500 stocks edged up 0.73 of a point to its second straight day of a record high at 1,203.57.

The central bank's Federal Open Market Committee kept the key federal funds rate, which banks charge each other for overnight loans, unchanged at 4.75%.