Dow closes at record after U.S. Federal Reserve keeps policy unchanged

A reader board shows the Dow Jones Industrial Average at an all time high on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the afternoon on Sept 17, 2014 in New York City. -- PHOTO: AFP
A reader board shows the Dow Jones Industrial Average at an all time high on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the afternoon on Sept 17, 2014 in New York City. -- PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK (AFP) - The Dow Wednesday closed at a fresh record after the US Federal Reserve stuck to a plan to begin raising near-zero interest rates only in 2015.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 17,156.95, up 24.98 points (0.15 per cent).

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 2.56 (0.13 per cent) to 2,001.54, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 9.43 (0.21 per cent) to 4,562.19.

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