Global Stocks

European stock markets retreated from a three-week high on Tuesday, as disappointing corporate updates and lackluster economic sentiment data from Germany soured the investing mood.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, -0.41% lost 0.4% to 337.32, after closing at the highest level since June 23 - the day of the U.K.'s Brexit referendum - on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average extended its winning streak to eight sessions and finished at a record high close for a sixth straight day on Tuesday even as the broader market retreated on disappointing quarterly results from Netflix Inc.

The Dow industrials DJIA, +0.14% gained 25.96 points, or 0.1%, to close at 18,559.01 as McDonald's Corp. MCD, +2.18% and Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +1.71% offset declines in Microsoft Corp. MSFT, -1.61% and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS, -1.18% shares.

The S&P 500 SPX, -0.14% edged down 3.11 points, or 0.1%, to end at 2,163.78. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.38% shed 19.41 points, or 0.4%, to finish at 5,036.37. For the month so far, the tech-heavy index has climbed over 4%, though it is up just 0.6% year-to-date, trailing 6% gains for the S&P and the Dow.

Asian stocks stepped back early on Wednesday after a record run on Wall Street showed signs of petering out, while the dollar hovered near a four-month high against a basket of currencies following upbeat U.S. data.

Global risk appetite, which has recovered rapidly from the Brexit shock late in June, received a sobering reminder after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global growth forecasts for the next two years on Tuesday, citing uncertainty over Britain's looming exit from the European Union.