In pictures: US Elections 2016

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump face the judgment of the voters on Tuesday as millions of Americans turn out on Election Day to pick the next US president and end a bruising campaign that polls said favoured Clinton.

In a battle centered largely on the character of the candidates, Clinton, 69, a former secretary of state and first lady, and Trump, 70, a New York businessman, made their final, fervent appeals to supporters late on Monday to turn out the vote. Their final week of campaigning was a grinding series of get-out-the-vote rallies across battleground states where the election is likely to be decided.

Financial markets brightened in reaction to the latest twists in what has been a volatile presidential campaign. Global stock markets and the US dollar surged, putting them on track for their biggest gains in weeks.

Here we look at a series of events taking place on the eve of US election 2016.

Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: REUTERS

Shamans perform a ritual of predictions for the upcoming US election with posters of Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton at the Agua Dulce beach in Lima. PHOTO: AFP

President Obama aboard Marine One departs on the last day of campaigning from the White House. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hillary Clinton is reflected in a tele prompter during a rally on the Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: AFP

People wait to see Donald Trump address supporters at Freedom Hill Amphitheater. PHOTO: AFP

A carnival float with papier-mache caricature mocking Donald Trump, is displayed at a postponed "Rosenmontag" (Rose Monday) parade, at one location in Duesseldorf, Germany. PHOTO: REUTERS

Donald Trump is bathed in red stage light as he arrives to rally with supporters at an arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. PHOTO: REUTERS

Supporters pose with a large effigy of Donald Trump while waiting to attend a campaign event with Hillary Clinton in Detroit, Michigan. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hillary Clinton greets audience members at a campaign rally at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: REUTERS

Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: REUTERS

Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Wilmington, Ohio. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hillary Clinton joins Jay Z and Beyonce onstage at a campaign concert in Cleveland, Ohio. PHOTO: REUTERS

A child lies on the ground before Donald Trump holds a rally at Atlantic Aviation in Moon, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: REUTERS

A supporter of Donald Trump wears themed clothing while waiting in line outside his rally at Atlantic Aviation in Moon, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: REUTERS

Donald Trump looks at a mask of himself as he speaks during a campaign rally in Sarasota, Florida. PHOTO: REUTERS

Protest signs urging more civility in American politics flank a long row of signs supporting Donald Trump in Hillsborough, North Carolina. PHOTO: REUTERS

A member of Hindu Sena, a right-wing Hindu group, holds a poster of Donald Trump as they symbolically celebrate his victory in the upcoming US elections, in New Delhi, India. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally with President Barack Obama on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: REUTERS

The wing tip of Hillary Clinton's campaign plane is seen as it flies to New Hampshire. PHOTO: AFP