US stocks ended with strong gains, yesterday, with the main indexes scored their third winning session in the last four. Some attributed the sharp gains to hopes that the Federal Reserve may to delay interest-rate hikes at its two-day policy meeting which begins today. So the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 229 points, or 1.4%, to 16,600. The Nasdaq Composite gained 55 points, or 1.1% to 4,861. And the S&P 500 climbed 25 points, or 1.3%, to 1,978. Markets are split on what a rate hike move might mean for stocks. In U.S. economic data, retail sales showed a modest 0.2% rise in August, matching a forecast. But a reading of business conditions in New York in September-known as the Empire State manufacturing index-was at its lowest level since 2009. August Industrial production fell 0.4% as expected, and July business inventories rose a bit less than expected.