US stocks were mixed as the S&P 500 snapped a four-day winning streak and pulled back from Monday's record closing high, while healthy earnings from United Technologies gave the Dow a slight lift.
European stocks fell as a late sell-off knocked markets off seven-week highs, with semiconductor group ST Micro Electronics leading the way after weak results.
Asian shares edged up in a tentative morning session, as investors awaited the latest reading on China's manufacturing activity to gauge the health of the world's second-biggest economy.