The Dow Jones industrial average rose 24.88 points. U.S. stocks edged higher in volatile trading on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve renewed its pledge to keep interest rates near zero for a "considerable time" and repeated concerns over slack in the labor market, standing firm against calls to overhaul its policy statement. Interest rate projections, however, show Fed officials expect rate hikes, when they come, will do so at a quicker pace than previously forecast.
