European oil stocks showed strength Wednesday, but the moves, along with a reading of eurozone services activity at a near six-year high, didn't translate to gains for regional indexes.

U.S. stocks ended lower Wednesday, suffering a late selloff after minutes of the Federal Reserve's March meeting showed policy makers plan to begin unwinding the central bank's gigantic balance sheet before the end of the year.

Stocks in Japan hit lows for the year following a down day on Wall Street, as global investors fretted over the direction of U.S. policy and its effects on asset prices. Traders were also positioning themselves ahead of the summit meeting between President Donald Trump and China's top leader, Xi Jinping.