The S&P 500 index was on track for an all-time high as big US companies began turning in solid results for the first quarter, despite predictions for the worst quarter of earnings growth in years. The gauge extended its advance past 2931 amid a rally led by the biggest technology companies. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose.

The most recent record for the benchmark index was set last September, shortly before the market took a nosedive in the fourth quarter that took the index almost 20 per cent below that peak. It's since recovered all of that ground since reaching a low on Christmas Eve.