U.K. stocks finished lower on Tuesday after investors received inflation data that could harden the case for the Bank of England to raise British borrowing costs. The FTSE 100 index UKX, -0.14% fell 0.1% to close at 7,516.17, after darting between small gains and losses through the day. Among big movers Tuesday, shares of Merlin Entertainments PLC MERL, -15.94% tumbled 16%.

U.S. stocks ended mostly higher on Tuesday, with both the Dow and the S&P 500 finishing at records as a round of positive earnings reports from major companies boosted positive sentiment and extended the recent uptrend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.18% closed up 40.48 points, or 0.2%, at 22,997.44. The blue-chip average hit a record of 23,002.20 in midday trading, the first time in history it broke above that psychologically important level.

Equity markets in the Asia-Pacific region were slightly higher on Wednesday, building on Wall Street's bullish performance overnight, though gains were being capped as a key meeting of China's political elite kicked off. Regional investors were trading cautiously as the latest Communist Party congress got under way, where China's President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a second five-year term.