European stocks finished lower Tuesday, suffering their third loss in four sessions, with drops for Provident Financial PLC and tech shares weighing on the region's main benchmark.

U.S. stock-market indexes closed lower Tuesday, driven by losses in utilities, telecoms and industrials sectors. An earlier rebound in the technology sector fizzled out, sending the Nasdaq Composite into negative territory, reversing solid gains in the morning.

Asia-Pacific equities experienced fresh selling Wednesday following modest overnight declines in Europe and the U.S., as commodity prices added to ongoing softness. Tech stocks were key to Tuesday's weakness in Asia and the up-to-3% overnight slide in metals prices added to pressure on Wednesday.