S&P 500 ends in red as tech wreck continues ahead of FED meeting; European markets close higher amid renewed hopes for Ukraine-Russia talks 
S&P 500 declined 0.7%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 2%. Both finished their seventh negative session in the past eight. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished flat after climbing as much as 450 points earlier in the day. 
Investors watched the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as both countries started a fresh round of ceasefire talks on Monday. A Ukrainian official said the country is asking for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the country. 
Investors are anticipating an important rate hike from the Fed, after the central bank commences a two-day session on Tuesday that will signal a tightening of monetary policy. The central bank is widely expected to raise its target fed funds rate by a quarter percentage point from zero. 
There also will be adjustments to the economic outlook, projections for the future path of rates, and likely a discussion about when the Fed can start reducing its bond portfolio holdings. 

The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally ended up 1.2%, with autos and banks jumping over 3.2% to lead gains while mining stocks fell 2.5%. 
Sweden’s Storskogen Group was among the top performers in the Stoxx 600, gaining more than 6.5%. Dutch investment company Prosus fell more than 10% to the bottom of the index, tracking losses in Chinese tech giant Tencent, in which it it has a substantial stake. 
Source: CNBC, Investing.com