LONDON, UK – JANUARY 1: Fireworks light up the London skyline above Big Ben and the London Eye just after midnight on January 1, 2023 in London, England. London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display has been revived this year after being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON—European stock markets were mixed on the final trading day of the year.
pan-european Stocks 600 By 12pm London time on Wednesday, the index was trading 0.2% lower.
british FTSE The index was trading 0.2% lower, with France’s CAC40 Germany fell 0.6%. dachshund Italy rose 0.6%. FTSE MIB It rose by 1.1%.
In the shortened trading session, all sector indices of the Stoxx 600 remained in negative territory heading into the final hour of trading. The technology and UK energy sectors were the biggest decliners, falling 0.6% and 0.4% respectively.
The market will have a half-day of trading on Wednesday, close on Thursday for the New Year’s Day holiday, and reopen on Friday.
Defense stocks rose for the second day in a row, with Saab, Lenk and line metal It increases between 2% and 3%.
Regional stocks extended their gains on Tuesday, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index closing 0.7% higher.
London-listed Fresniro fell 2.9% on Wednesday after rising 6% on Tuesday, making it one of the worst performers in the European blue-chip index. Other mining stocks also hit record highs in pre-market trading, with Anglo American, Antofagasta and Glencore up about 3% each, but avoided big losses on Wednesday.
Investors also focused on precious metals, especially gold and silver, during the holiday-shortened trading week. Silver futures were down 8.2% and gold futures were down 1.5% in midday trading.
U.S. stocks fell slightly in premarket trading, heading for a fourth straight loss, as Wall Street prepares for the final day of 2025. The S&P 500 is expected to register double-digit gains for the third consecutive year, locking in a 17% gain at the start of the year, but it appears to have missed the so-called “Santa Claus Rally.”
Meanwhile, stock prices in the Asia-Pacific region fell overnight. Markets in Hong Kong and Australia will close early for public holidays, while markets in Japan and South Korea will be closed on those days.
There are no major data releases in Europe on Wednesday.
– CNBC’s Sarah Min contributed to this report
