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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said: "Asset purchases are not on a preset course"
Asian stocks are rising after the US central bank unexpectedly said it will not scale back its stimulus programme until the economy improves further.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.9% and Australia's ASX 200 rose 1.2%, to a nearly five-year high after the announcement.
In the US, the three main stock indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday.
Many investors had speculated that the Federal Reserve would begin reducing its $85bn (£54bn) bond-buying plan.
But in a statement released after its two-day policy meeting, the Fed said there was no fixed timetable for it to begin scaling back - or "tapering" - its stimulus.
The central bank said it was taking a more cautious stance because of an "elevated" unemployment rate and concerns about the US economic recovery.
"The Committee decided to await more evidence that progress will be sustained before adjusting the pace of its purchases," it said.
The Fed also cut its forecast for growth this year to between 2.0% and 2.3%. That compares to a June estimate of between 2.3% and 2.6%.
Last Updated at 21:26 ET
| Nikkei 225 | 14631.33 | Up | 125.97 | 0.87% |
| ASX All Ords | 5288.60 | Up | 58.20 | 1.11% |
| Hang Seng | 23117.45 | Down | -63.07 | -0.27% |
| SSE Composite | 2191.85 | Up | 6.29 | 0.29% |
| SSE SE 50 | 1700.59 | Up | 1.96 | 0.12% |
| BSE Sensex | 19962.16 | Up | 158.13 | 0.80% |
Source: BBC News - Business http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24155790#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
