European stocks rose for a second straight day on Wednesday, but with drugmakers capping gains after a late-session selloff following remarks by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed less than 50 points from the psychologically-important 20,000 mark on Wednesday following President-elect Donald Trump's first news conference in months. The Nasdaq also extended gains to its fifth straight record close.

Asian equity markets were slightly higher Thursday, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump largely avoided fresh attacks on global trade in his first news conference in six months. However, Trump on Wednesday also offered little clarity on his economic stimulus plans, sending the U.S. dollar down against major currencies, with the Japanese yen recently up nearly 0.3%, hurting Japanese stocks.