European stocks largely stepped higher Thursday, building on the prior day's sizable jump that was sparked by dovish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen. The Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, +0.32% rose 0.3% to close at 386.14, after the index on Wednesday notched its biggest one-day percentage advance since April 24, tacking on 1.5%. Global equity benchmarks have been given a midweek shot in the arm by Yellen saying interest rates don't have to rise all that much further.

The Dow on Thursday closed at a record for the 24th time in 2017, as gains in the financial sector helped the broader market book modest gains ahead of a roster of corporate results from the U.S.'s biggest banks.

Global stocks continued to move higher Friday, with most Asia-Pacific markets poised to end the week on a high note as investors maintained their risk for appetite. "Asia has done well in the past couple of days," despite commentary from Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen and the latest worries regarding U.S. President Donald Trump, said Tai Hui, chief market strategist in Asia at J.P. Morgan Funds.