European stocks finished with gains Wednesday, as falls in the euro and the pound helped exporters and offset disappointing financial updates from companies such as Zalando. Where indexes are trading: The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.29% posted a 0.3% rise to end at 391.56. On Tuesday, the pan-European benchmark fell 0.3%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average punched firmly higher on Wednesday to a historic close above 23,000. It took 54 trading days for the gauge to close above the next round-number milestone, representing the third fastest 1,000-point advance in history. However, the record-setting climb for the more than 120-year old stock-market average might hint at some softness.

Asian stocks inched up to near decade highs on Thursday, continuing to ride on a global equities rally, while the dollar resumed its rise on the back of a spike in U.S. yields.