Deal Talks Are Driving Global Markets

European stocks open higher again Thursday as forecast-beating corporate earnings continue to power global equity markets ahead of what could be a game-changing meeting from the European Central Bank.

Markets are likely to take their cues from last night's record-setting session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit another set of all-time highs and the value of global stocks hit the highest level on record following solid gains in Asia.

A modestly weaker yen helped Japan's Nikkei 225 rise 0.4% into the close of trading while the region's broadest measure of share prices, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index, was marked 0.15% higher at 06:30 London time.

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