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| - Global equities moved mostly sideways Wednesday as investors kept a nervous eye on Washington, hoping the Federal Reserve will extend its dovish monetary policy while lawmakers struggle to hammer out a new stimulus package. On Wall Street the Dow was just shy of a 100 point gain by the late New York morning, while European stocks were mostly directionless at the close. "Stock markets are mixed today as traders look ahead to the Federal Reserve's announcement later today," said CMC Markets analyst David Madden. "There has been a lot of chatter the Fed will reiterate the point that rates will stay ultra-low for years to come," he said. Previous stimulus packages had been "extremely aggressive", Madden said, "and there is a view they will do what it takes to cushion the blow of the health crisis". Gold held steady after hitting record highs for two straight days, though observers say uncertainty over the spread of the coronavirus, a weaker dollar and geopolitical worries could soon push the metal to fresh peaks above $2,000 per ounce. With the COVID-19 pandemic showing little sign of being fully controlled until a vaccine is created, economic recoveries and a months-long global markets rally are sputtering, putting pressure on governments and central banks to add to their already monumental financial support. The Federal Reserve concludes its latest policy meeting later in the day, and there are hopes it will promise to keep the stimulus in place. The bank dropped interest rates to zero in the early days of the pandemic, and said they will stay there until the recovery is firmly in place. It has also flooded the financial system with cash and constructed a web of loan programmes for businesses, as well as state and local governments. There are meanwhile festering concerns as US lawmakers struggle to push through a new support programme for the world's top economy, with their previous multi-trillion-dollar scheme running dry. "Republicans and Democrats are struggling to reach an agreement over the next relief package, causing optimism to stutter," noted City Index analyst Fiona Cincotta. London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 6,131.46 points (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.1 percent at 12,822.26 Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.6 percent at 4,958.74 (close) EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,300.16 New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 26,464.39 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 22,397.11 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.5 percent at 24,883.14 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 2.1 percent at 3,294.55 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1770 from $1.1716 at 2100 GMT Dollar/yen: DOWN at 105.05 yen from 105.09 yen Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2973 from $1.2932 Euro/pound: DOWN at 90.73 pence from 91.79 West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.0 percent at $41.45 per barrel Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.2 percent at $44.15 burs/jh/cdw
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