German stocks led European equities higher Thursday, but the broader market couldn't avoid losses for March and the first quarter of 2018.

The Nasdaq Composite's COMP, -2.74% 2.7% tumble Monday, amid broad selling in the technology sector and uncertainty surrounding trade policy, came with the most panic-like selling in nearly two years. The Nasdaq's Arms Index, a volume-weighted breadth measure that tends to rise above 1.000 when the market falls, spiked up to 2.238, while readings above 2.000 are viewed as having panic-like characteristics.

Asian stock markets headed lower Tuesday as a selloff of tech shares deepened in the U.S. and escalating trade tensions with China dampened investor confidence. Traders took cues from Wall Street after the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.7% Monday, leading a 2.2% decline for the S&P 500 and marking a damp start to the month after U.S. stocks logged the worst quarterly performance since mid-2015.