U.K. stocks finished with losses Thursday, with a rallying pound helping to push the blue-chips market lower for the first time in four sessions, but Lloyds Banking Group PLC gained following the lender's well-received earnings report.

The Nasdaq Composite closed at a record Thursday, during an busy day of corporate quarterly results, but the broader market ended in neutral territory as a slump in energy and questions about President Donald Trump's tax plan weighed on Wall Street.

Major stock indexes in Asia fell slightly on Friday, mirroring Wall Street's cautious sentiment on risk taking, though strong earnings results from tech companies saw shares in the sector rise. The market-friendly result of the first round of elections in France helped the region start the week strongly, but stocks have given back some of their gains as investors refocused on local drivers.