US stocks advanced supported by banks' strong earnings. The S&P 500 scored its best weekly performance since January and a third consecutive week of gains.
European stocks edged lower with mixed economic data and renewed concerns about the political risks in the euro zone prompting investors to lock in profits at the end of the market's best week since April.
Asian shares were mixed even after a record close on Wall Street, and a decline in the dollar paused as markets braced for Chinese data that could offer telling evidence of weakness in the world's second-biggest economy.