Global Stocks

European stocks scored a fourth consecutive win Tuesday, with investors hanging onto brighter prospects for further global stimulus efforts as the markets headed into a new earnings season.

The Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, +1.06% rose 1.1% to close at 336.26, ending at the highest level since June 23rd, the day of the U.K.'s Brexit vote.

Meanwhile, investors are looking at the potential for an interest-rate cut by the Bank of England when it meets on Thursday. Mark Carney, Bank of England chief, was testifying at a Treasury committee to discuss the central bank's financial stability report.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at a record on Tuesday, joining the S&P 500 index at an all-time closing high as a rally in oil prices and stronger-than-expected earnings from Alcoa Inc. AA, +5.42% vaulted stocks to new heights. The record for the the blue-chip benchmark comes a day after the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.70% set an all-time closing high. The Dow DJIA, +0.66% added 120.74 points, or 0.7%, to 18,347.67, ending at a record for the first time in nearly 14 months. The blue-chip index set an intraday high at 18,371.95. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.70% climbed 14.98 points, or 0.7%, to 2,152.14, a few points off its all-time intraday high of 2,155.49. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.69% advanced 34.18 points, or 0.7% to 5,022.82, erasing its losses in 2016.

Asian shares came within reach of testing their 2016 peak on Wednesday as prospects of solid U.S. growth and accommodative economic policy in major markets whet investors' risk appetite damaged by uncertainty from Brexit.

Japan's Nikkei .N225 gained 1 percent. Australian stocks added 0.3 percent and South Korea's Kospi .KS11 rose 0.6 percent. New Zealand shares .NZ50 were little changed, hovering near a record high struck Tuesday. Shanghai .SSEC advanced 0.3 percent.