European stocks closed lower on Wednesday, but the region's benchmark still scored its best month since October. U.K. stocks, however, underperformed the wider market after a plunge of nearly 50% for shares of outsourcer Capita PLC rattled investors.

Some Asian stock markets rebounded after the broad pullback that started the week, but Chinese equities weakened again following another muted manufacturing reading, weighing on Hong Kong stocks. A gauge of manufacturing activity that some watch more closely than the official reading out Wednesday was flat for January and only modestly in expansion territory.

Stocks saw choppy trade Wednesday after the Federal Reserve did nothing to discourage expectations for a March rate rise, but ended the session with modest gains while booking the biggest monthly rise since March 2016. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.28% rose 72.50 points, or 0.3%, to end at 26,149.39.