European stock markets moved mostly higher on Tuesday, with Italian banks among the biggest gainers after news the country's government is preparing a bailout package for struggling lenders. The pan-European index appeared to shake off the latest terror events in Berlin, Zurich and Ankara on Monday.

U.S. stocks finished higher on Tuesday, led by a rally in bank stocks, though the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished just below the psychologically important 20,000 level. Both the Dow and Nasdaq Composite Index closed at fresh all-time highs, with the S&P 500 index falling just short of its own record.

A record-breaking day in U.S. stocks overnight - with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovering just below the symbolically significant 20,000 level - led Asian stocks higher Wednesday.