Equities extended this week's gains a bit further early Thursday as minutes of the Federal Reserve's meeting revealed a deeper-than-expected divide on the timing of the next interest rate increase. The prospect of a slower pace of additional rate increases pressured the dollar in Wednesday afternoon U.S. trading, and the subsequent gain in the yen weighed on Japanese stocks early Thursday.

European stocks pushed higher Wednesday, with stocks continuing to recover after the flare-up in tensions between the U.S. and North Korea and big exporters getting a boost from a weaker euro. The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.69% picked up 0.7% to close at 379.09, logging a third straight day of gains.

U.S. stocks closed moderately higher Wednesday, restoring the Dow above the psychologically-important 22,000 mark, after Federal Reserve minutes suggested that the central bank is wrestling with sluggish inflation but eager to commence an unwind of its $4.5 trillion asset portfolio.