European stocks closed lower for a sixth session in a row Tuesday, hurt as the euro leapt to a three-week high on the back of stronger-than-expected economic growth figures from the eurozone, while miners shares slumped on worries about growth in China.
U.S. stock benchmarks finished lower, but off their intraday lows, on Tuesday, with Wall Street slumping in the face of uncertainty around efforts to overhaul tax policy and a downturn in crude-oil futures.
Global stock markets continued to pull back on Wednesday as investors continued to assess October's surge and as commodity prices fell further. Weakness overnight in Europe and the U.S. "ultimately set Asia up for quite a soggy start," said Chris Weston, chief market strategist at IG Group.