Global Stocks

European stocks finished slightly lower Wednesday, with energy shares among those pulling the region's key benchmark away from its post-Brexit high.

The Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, -0.20% slipped 0.2% to end at 343.98. The pan-European index suffered its first daily drop after five straight sessions of gains.

U.S. stocks closed slightly lower Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq retreating from record levels as the energy sector came under renewed pressure.

The main indexes, which opened with small gains, turned lower as crude-oil futures slumped following data on supply and production.

Oil futures fell 2.5% to a one-week low after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported an increase crude supplies last week, while Saudi Arabia revealed record crude production in July.

The benchmark S&P 500 index SPX, -0.29% fell 6.25 points, or 0.4% to 2,175.49, a day after notching an all-time high. Energy shares, down 1.4%, led the losses, followed by financials, down 0.8%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.20% fell 37.39 points, or 0.2%, to 18,495.66, with shares of Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM, -1.75% and Chevron Corp CVX, -1.16% leading losses.

Asian shares fell on Thursday, reversing recent gains following losses on Wall Street, though regional currencies rose after Beijing let the Chinese yuan strengthen to mark the one-year anniversary of a landmark devaluation.

Broad risk sentiment remains on the back foot as oil prices tumbled on news of a surprising jump in U.S. government stockpiles and as Singapore, the region's bellwether for trade, cut its economic forecast for the year.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS fell 0.5 percent. It hit a one-year high on Wednesday and has broadly outperformed the MSCI world index .MIWO00000PUS since end-June.

Hong Kong .HSI and Indonesia .JKSE led regional gainers in trade. Japan's markets .N225 are closed for a holiday.

Singapore cut its economic growth forecast on concerns over Brexit and weakening global demand with official forecasts downgraded to an expansion of 1-2 percent this year from a previous forecast of 1-3 percent growth.

In Asia, yields on 10-year benchmark New Zealand bonds NZ10YT=RR fell to 2.18 percent after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut its official cash rate by 25 basis points to a record low of 2.0 percent as widely expected.