European markets were higher Thursday, rallying after a day in the doldrums during the previous session. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was 0.42% higher at 2 p.m. in London, slightly pulling back from earlier gains. Technology stocks continued to lead the pack, up 1.2%. France’s CAC 40 index rose 0.5%, rebounding from a decline Wednesday even as the country’s risk premium drew level with Greece’s for the first time amid ongoing political turmoil.Investors were also monitoring inflation data from across the euro zone ahead of the bloc-wide print on Friday. German consumer prices held steady in November, defying economists’ expectations for a slight increase, while Spanish inflation rose from 1.8% to 2.4%. Across the Atlantic, U.S. markets are closed for Thanksgiving; U.S. stocks fell in light trading on Wednesday ahead of the holiday. Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher on Thursday after Wall Street rally stalled overnight and as investors assessed a surprise interest rate cut by South Korea. South Korea’s blue-chip Kospi index finished marginally higher at 2,504.67 while the small-cap Kosdaq climbed 0.35% to end at 694.39. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.56% to close at 38,349.06 while the broad-based Topix added 0.82% to end at 2,687.28. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.45% to a new record close of 8,444.3. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.31% in its final hour of trade, giving back some of the gains after logging its largest daily jump this month on Wednesday. Mainland China’s CSI 300 index was down by 0.88% to end the day at 3,872.55. Oil prices edged lower in Asian trading on Thursday, after a surprise jump in U.S. gasoline stocks ahead of the nation’s Thanksgiving holiday sparked worry over demand in the top consumer of the motor fuel. Brent crude futures fell by 4 cents, or 0.1%, to $72.79 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were a cent lower at $68.71 a barrel. Trading is expected to be light due to U.S. holiday. Gold prices slipped on Thursday as the U.S. dollar strengthened, while investors assessed a flurry of economic data showing stalled inflation progress, suggesting the Federal Reserve might tread cautiously on further interest rate cuts. Spot gold fell 0.3% to $2,627.60 per ounce. U.S. gold futures shed 0.5% to $2,627.00. The dollar index was up 0.1%, reducing gold’s appeal for holders of other currencies.