European stock markets finished down slightly from a 20-month high on Wednesday, holding lower after a reading on eurozone economic growth matched the market's expectations.

U.S. stocks closed mostly lower Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, as widely expected, and deemed a recent patch of economic weakness as temporary. The main indexes traded in a narrow range over the past several sessions, unable to break to new highs.

Asian stocks tilted lower, with Australian stocks continuing to lag behind, as investors were largely unmoved by an as-expected policy announcement from the Federal Reserve.