COSTELLO: We are moments away from the opening bell, and anticipation is against building, as the Dow remains in striking distance of reaching that major milestone, the 20,000 mark. Alison Kosik live in the New York Stock Exchange. Hi, Alison.</s>ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. So, yes, the watch for Dow 20,000 is back on after we saw some losses on the Dow yesterday. Now, it wasn't that the Fed raised interest rates a quarter of a percent, but what rattled the market a little bit was how many times policymakers said they're expected to raise rates against next year. They said three times instead of two. They had said it would only be two back in September. So, the concern here is how much will they raise it as well? Will it be small moves like a quarter point, or bigger jumps? So, meantime, mortgage rates, they are on the move. Look at this. Yesterday, a 30-year fixed was at 4.19 percent. Today, it's at 4.27 percent. Look at a month ago, it was barely over 4 percent, in anticipation of the Fed's formal announcement. So, yes, what the Federal Reserve just did was make borrowing money more expensive. But by raising rates, the Fed is basically showing it believes the economy is getting stronger. So, now going to turn back to the Dow which is within spitting distance of 20,000. A milestone. But you know what, Carol? Even if it doesn't take that milestone this year, the Dow had a fantastic year so far.
Dow Within Striking Distance of Major Milestone.