US equity markets advanced as investors continued to bank of interest rate cuts in the new year - Dow climbed +252-points or +0.68% to 37,557.92, rallying for a ninth straight session – the longest such streak since July – and logging a fifth straight record close. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (up +4.2%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index overnight, while Caterpillar Inc (+2.54%) and Intel Corp (+2.12%) gained over >2%.