Canada's benchmark S&P/TSX added 94.24 points, or 1.45%, to 6,605.42.

European markets closed mixed. In London, the Financial Times-Stock Exchange 100 index gained 65.30 points, or 1.56%, to 4,246.20. In France, the CAC 40 was up 35.53 points, or 1.05%, to 3,415.38. And in Germany, the DAX Index fell 178.80 points, or 4.61%, to 3,700.14.

In Asia, the markets finished on a mixed note. The Nikkei lost 125.78 points, or 1.26%, to 9,877.94, on short-term profit-taking and amid uncertainty over the global equity markets including the U.S. Exporter shares led the fall as the yen edged higher against the U.S. dollar. In Hong Kong, the market added 112.11 points, or 1.10%, to 10,267.36.