U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, with Dow and Nasdaq closing at record highs, as the Federal Reserve kicked off a two-day monetary policy meeting.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 39.45 points, or 0.18 percent, to 22,370.80. The S&P 500 added 2.78 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,506.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 6.68 points, or 0.10 percent, to 6,461.32.

It was widely expected that the U.S. central bank won't raise interest rates following the meeting, but investors believe the Fed will announce the unwinding of its 4.5-trillion-U.S.-dollar balance sheet.

Analysts said market will also be looking for clues of whether the Fed will raise rates in December. Market expectations for a December rate hike rose to 58.3 percent on Tuesday.

Wall Street also kept an eye on the United Nations, where U.S. President Donald Trump gave a speech on Tuesday, trying to rally members to confront threats like Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council unanimously imposed a ban on the Asian country's textile exports and capped its crude oil imports.

On the economic front, U.S. privately-owned housing starts in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,180,000, beating market consensus, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.