NEW YORK – The U.S. stock market paused Thursday as investors tried to figure out what to do next following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold steady on its stimulus program.

The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index pulled back from their record highs set the day before. Gold, historically a haven for nervous investors, posted its biggest one-day jump since the onset of the financial crisis in September 2008, surging $61.70, or 4.7 percent, to $1,369.30 an ounce.

On Thursday, the Dow Jones slipped 40 points, or 0.3 percent, to 15,636.55, while the S&P 500 fell 3 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 1,722.34. The Nasdaq composite rose 6 points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,789.38, helped by Apple’s stock price.