Asian equities continued to rise Wednesday, helped by strong results from Apple, though Sydney shares eased as commodities prices pulled back. The stock market in Taiwan, home to a number of Apple's suppliers, was the strongest performer in the region. That market's strength in the past year has been in large part Apple-driven, thanks to the company's results as well as expectations about how its coming iPhone will fare.

Stocks in Europe gained ground Tuesday, as trading in August kicked off with shares of BP PLC climbing after the oil major's earnings report, and as data showed rising economic growth in the eurozone. The Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, +0.64% tacked on 0.6% to close at 380.26. Energy and industrial stocks led advancers, and the health care sector was the only laggard. The pan-European index on Monday slipped 0.1% to close at its lowest since April.

The U.S. stock market finished higher Tuesday, with the Dow logging its second straight record and a sixth straight session in positive territory on the back of upbeat earnings, shaking off less-than-stellar reports on manufacturing and inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.33% added 72.80 points, or 0.3%, to finish at an all-time closing high at 21,963.92, marking its 31st record in 2017 and putting the blue-chip gauge within 40 points of a milestone at 22,000. The Dow had touched an intraday all-time high at 21,990.96 before retreating somewhat.