Nikkei 225

Quad-witching Friday has arrived, which means that alongside thin, pre-holiday liquidity and a jumpy market, we expect to see sharp, volatile moves for the rest of the day, the first of which was just noted in Europe, where stocks moved from session lows to highs in the span of minutes, in the process sending the Euro Stoxx 50 index 0.8% higher and turning it positive on the year as it reached its highest level since December 2015. The broader Stoxx 600 remains still down 1.8% on the year.

Having hit it out of the park recently with several fantastic cross-asset pieces, including "RBC Warns January Is Setting Up As A "Massive Mean-Reversion" Month" and "RBC Answers "THE" Question Every Investor Is Asking: "What Could Derail This Rally?"", today in the aftermath of the FOMC's press conference, RBC's cross-asset head Charlie McElligott is out with another must read report, explaining why we find outselves at a "dangerous fork in the road."

Yesterday's brief hiccup in what has been an otherwise relentless rally in global risk assets is all but forgotten this morning, as European and Asian stocks, and US equity futures, all rise in quiet trading ahead of tomorrow's FOMC meeting, with the Dow set to make a 16th consecutive post-election all time high.

European and Asian shares rose again and S&P futures were little changed, as world stocks were set for a weekly gain and held near 16-month highs on Friday, while the euro steadied after swings following the European Central Bank’s decision to extend its stimulus program. Oil rose a second day before a meeting between OPEC and other major producers on output cuts, industrial metals gain.

European and Asian markets rose, while U.S. index futures were little changed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average pushing for yet another record, as traders digested the Italian referendum news, await the ECB's Thursday announcement and reflect in a notably quieter overnight session.  Oil slipped from a 16-month high after 4 straight days of gains, as doubts emerged about how OPEC will implement the first supply curbs in eight years. European bonds gained with stocks.