European stocks on Thursday closed just shy of a 2016 high as bank shares rallied and the euro sank after the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled a faster pace of interest-rate hikes than previously mapped out. But shares in mining companies fell as the U.S. dollar continued its post-Fed surge. The dollar's jump came partly at the expense of the shared currency, which traded at 14-year lows against the greenback.

U.S. stocks closed higher Thursday, but off their intraday highs, as investors adjusted to the Federal Reserve's plan for a faster path of interest-rate increases in 2017. After a pullback following the Fed decision Wednesday, stock-market indexes resumed their post-election march higher.

Asian shares steadied on Friday, tracking U.S. gains, with financials leading Japan's stock market to a fresh high for the year. Japan financials are benefiting from rising yields for global government bonds, in which they invest heavily.