A busy day for announcements with plenty of activity from around the world to keep traders interested, headline by the Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate policy.

The USD continues to gather momentum against the Euro, as the fourth quarter kicks off. The pairing is trading in the low-to-mid $1.17 range, currently trading at $1.1738. The bullish outlook on the US economy, coupled with the Euro being weighed down by the Catalonia independence referendum in Spain is all coming together to affect the pairing.

US stocks all hit record highs overnight as the fourth quarter got underway. The Dow was the best performer, up 152.51 points (+0.68%) to close at 22,557.60. The S&P 500 added 9.76 points (+0.39%) to end the session at 2,529.12, while the NASDAQ closed at 6,516.72, up 20.76 points (+0.32%). European stocks ended the session in positive territory, shrugging off the independence referendum in Spain. The FTSE was the best performer, gaining almost 1% to close at 7,438.84 (up 66.08 points or 0.90%). The DAX also made a strong showing, adding 73.79 points (+0.58%) to end at 12,902.65.

Gold continues to get belted as investors shun the precious metal. Gold is at an almost 7-week low as a strengthening US dollar drives down prices. After hovering around $1,350 two weeks ago, gold is losing friends fast, currently trading at $1,274.30.

Turing to today’s events and the most significant event as far as announcements go is the interest rate decision by Australia’s central bank, the RBA. There has not been a lot of talk of adjusting rates, which is why the accompanying Rate Statement brings with it more significance. It will be important to try and ascertain what outlook policymakers have for the Australian economy and the future of monetary policy settings. Other announcements today include:

Japan – Monetary Base, BoJ Core CPI, Consumer Confidence

Australia – Commodity Prices, Building Approvals, ANZ Job Advertisements, HIA New Home Sales

Europe – Spanish Unemployment Change, PPI, German Bank Holiday

China – Public Holiday

UK – Construction PMI, FPC Meeting Minutes

US – Total Vehicle Sales, Fed Reserve Member Jerome Powell speaks