European stocks rebounded from a six-month low on Wednesday, as tensions after North Korea's latest missile launch eased for now and spurred investors to take on more risk. The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.70% rose 0.7% to close at 371.01, after sliding 1% to settle at its lowest level since Feb. 10 on Tuesday. That drop came after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan, in a move seen as another direct provocation from Pyongyang meant to destabilize the Asian region.

U.S. stock-market indexes closed higher Wednesday, with the benchmark S&P 500 posting gains for a fourth straight session after a pair of strong economic reports. Wednesday's advance was marked by bouts of volatility triggered by ongoing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. Markets also watched President Donald Trump's speech on tax reform in Springfield, Mo. Trump called for an easy-to-understand tax code that would create jobs and higher wages.

Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after Wall Street rose on a stronger estimate of U.S. economic growth and Chinese factory activity improved. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4 per cent to 3,350.44 while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.7 per cent to 19,652. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.4 per cent to 27,978.42 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 advanced 0.5 per cent to 5,700.10.