The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped to its sixth record in seven sessions following huge gains by Caterpillar and 3M following strong earnings. Nearly 200 companies in the S&P 500 are set to report results this week, making it a crucial stage of the quarterly cycle. The ECB began buying massive amounts of bonds in 2015 to fight the threat of deflation -- a damaging downward spiral of prices and activity. The ECB closely watches lending data to gauge the effectiveness of its ultra-loose monetary policy, which aims to bolster growth and inflation in the single currency area by encouraging spending and investment. Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei led another broad advance across Asian markets, with the index chalking up its 16th straight gain to extend an impressive record streak.

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 24, 2017 21:33 UTC