Critics of quantitative easing say it doesn't do much to help the real economy and is instead a "backdoor" bailout of banks.
The eurozone will commence a bond-buying program in March, but its specs are from the U.S. model.
Markit's Eurozone Composite Flash Purchasing Managers' Index bounced to a five-month high of 52.2 from December's 51.4.
Falling prices are a concern for China, which wants to avoid Japan's fate of sinking into a 20-year deflationary funk.
Lifted by the global surge in equities, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose to an eight-week high.
The European Central Bank announced Thursday a 60 billion-euro-a-month stimulus program aimed at spurring growth and averting deflation.
After a bouncy day, U.S. markets settled in the green. Investors are looking to Brussels for a stimulus signal.
British inflation last month unexpectedly tumbled to 0.5 percent, its lowest in more than 14 years and far below the BoE's 2 percent target.
Financial markets are already starting to pay the price of central bank wavering and lack of cooperation with higher volatility.
As widely expected, the Bank of Japan held off on expanding its massive stimulus program.
U.S. markets managed to eke out a slight gain amid uncertainty about Asia and Europe.
The French leader's comments reinforced expectations that the ECB will follow other major central banks into quantitative easing.
The Reserve Bank of India said it could cut interest rates further should inflation continue to ease.
The fall in inflation has given some respite to households with average earnings rising by more than prices.
Some analysts say this is less of an authentic investment and more of an "extend-and-pretend" debt restructuring.
The unemployment rate is forecast slipping one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.7 percent in December, which would be the lowest since June 2008.
China's annual consumer inflation hovered at a near five-year low of 1.5 percent in December, signaling persistent weakness in the economy.
The trade deficit shrank in November to less than $40 billion, providing a boost to growth as Americans spent less on imported oil.
Deflation in the eurozone is likely the final push the ECB needs to pull the trigger on quantitative easing, despite Berlin's resistance.
U.S. crude closed up for the first time in four sessions while Brent clawed back above $50 a barrel.
Market signals of deflation, at least in Europe, are becoming harder to ignore. All eyes are on the European Central Bank.
Some economists are warning that the U.S. faces creeping deflation. Here's what that means and why economists fear it.