Wall Street notches records as Fed lines up taper but downplays rate hikes; European markets close slightly higher ahead of key Fed decision 
The major averages jumped to fresh record highs Wednesday, as the Federal Reserve's announced its plan to taper its monthly bond purchases later this month, but stopped of short of signaling that sooner rate hikes were on the horizon.    
The S&P 500 rose 0.29% to record of 4,660.57. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.29%, or 104 points to a record of 36,157.58. The Nasdaq climbed 1.04% to a record of 15,811.58. 
The buying will slow by $15 billion per month, which means the quantitative easing should end by the middle of 2022, although the Fed reiterated flexibility saying the amount could change if warranted. 

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed up by 0.3%, with oil and gas stocks dropping 3% while miners gained 1%. 
TeamViewer was the strongest performer on the Stoxx 600 on Wednesday, gaining more than 10% after the German remote desktop software company reported a strong set of third-quarter earnings and confirmed its outlook. 
Source: CNBC, Investing.com