European stocks ended a volatile session mainly higher on Thursday after Madrid suspended a parliamentary session in Catalonia in an attempt to block the region from declaring independence. The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.16% ended 0.2% higher at 391.03, rising for a 10th out of the past 11 session.

U.S. stock-market indexes posted solid gains and closed at all-time highs on Thursday after Congress passed a budget resolution-a step seen as setting the stage for an overhaul of the tax code.

Stock markets in Asia posted broad gains Friday morning as Hong Kong's benchmark index briefly reached its best level in a decade and Japan's Nikkei moved closer to levels last seen in 1996. The latest leg higher for stock markets, including new records in the U.S., has been helped by fresh comments from central bankers interpreted in support of a December interest-rate increase. Fed-fund futures now show a 87% probability of an increase then, versus 78% on Tuesday, according to CME Group data.