(By Investing.com) European stocks edged lower on Wednesday in cautious trading ahead of the Fed meeting, which could see pandemic-era fiscal stimulus coming to an end in the world’s largest economy.The DAX in Germany traded 0.1% lower, UK FTSE 100 dropped 0.2%, and the CAC 40 in France fell 0.1%.The U.S central bank is expected to start reining its $120 million monthly bond-buying programme, after it concludes its two-day policy-setting meeting on Wednesday.The inflation spike is running at a 30-year high and the bigger variable is whether Chairman Jerome Powell changes his outlook on the matter.Lufthansa stock rose 4.5% after the airline posted a return in operating profit for the third quarter, the first time since the pandemic. The airline expects to stay profitable in the quarter at the current operating level.BMW stock climbed 0.9% after it reported a sharp rise in net profit for the third quarter.Vestas Wind Systems’ stocks, on the other hand, slumped over 10% after the Danish wind turbine maker cut its forecasts on operating margins, citing input cost pressures. Orsted also fell 1.0%, Europe’s biggest operator of wind farms.Online fashion retailer Zalando stock fell 2.2%, while Next stock fell 3.2%.Crude prices fell on Wednesday as a result of a sharp rise in oil inventories in the U.S. and as pressure grows on OPEC+ to increase supply.U.S. crude futures traded 2% lower at $82.23 a barrel, while Brent fell 1.8% to $83.19. Gold Futures fell 0.3% to $1,783.50/oz, while EUR/USD traded 0.1% higher to 1.1587.Learn more about stock trading TODAY.