By Georgi Kantchev

Global stock markets paused Wednesday on concerns about the health of the world economy, a day after strong earnings propelled U.S. stocks to new highs.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 was down 0.2%, following losses across most Asian markets.

Futures pointed to opening losses of 0.1% for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The S&P 500 registered its first record-high close of 2019 on Wednesday, while the Dow is within less than a percentage point of an all-time high.

Data released Wednesday showed German business sentiment fell in April, indicating that Europe's biggest economy continues to lose steam. The Ifo Institute said its business climate index declined to 99.2 from a revised 99.7 points in March. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a small increase in the index to 99.9 points this month.

Analysts said Wednesday that concerns China may slow the pace of policy easing following stronger-than-expected first-quarter growth is also dampening investor sentiment. Traders were monitoring the latest moves in trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington, which are slated to restart next week.

Wednesday's subdued market moves came as strong earnings boosted stocks earlier this week, in a year marked by a more accommodative Federal Reserve and a stable economy. The rally marked a strong reversal from the fourth quarter of 2018 when a selloff dragged the Nasdaq into bear-market territory and left the S&P 500 teetering on the edge of ending its longest bull run ever.

"The equity market rally continues...nonetheless, short term corrections are likely, as is higher volatility, even as markets grind higher in the coming months, because plenty of risks remain," including European growth, said Esty Dwek, senior investment strategist at Natixis Investment Managers.

In recent days, companies like Twitter, aerospace giant Lockheed Martin and industrial conglomerate United Technologies have reported solid results. Investors have been looking to the earnings season for clues about the strength of businesses and the economy.

"Earnings expectations were dialed down. It turns out things are much better," said Randy Warren, chief investment officer of Philadelphia-based Warren Financial. "Markets have the support to go higher."

Of the 104 companies in the S&P 500 to report results so far, 78% have beaten analysts' expectations, compared with about 65% in the fourth quarter, according to data from Refinitiv. The bar is significantly lower, however, after steep downgrades to 2019 earnings forecasts in recent months.

The WSJ Dollar Index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of 16 currencies, was up 0.2%. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was down at 2.545% from 2.570% on Tuesday. Yields move inversely to prices.

In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.5% while Japan's Nikkei was down 0.3%.

In commodities, Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was down 0.4%, while gold prices rose 0.2%.

Write to Georgi Kantchev at georgi.kantchev@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 24, 2019 05:09 ET (09:09 GMT)

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