Pre-holiday trading activity on the stock markets in the UK and France is light, with overall trends remaining stable.

In the scarce trading environment on the eve of Christmas, the French and British stock markets performed flat, while most major European stock markets were closed for the Christmas holiday. The Euro Stoxx 600 index hit a new record high on Tuesday, set to record annual gains for the third consecutive year, and is heading towards one of the strongest quarters in the past two years, mainly supported by market optimism over global economic growth prospects and declining borrowing costs. Credit Suisse senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya stated that the stock market may continue to rise in the final few trading days of the year. But what about after that? Reality could bring shocks. Some areas of the technology sector have shown signs of a bubble, and next year's financial reporting season will no longer focus on impressive numbers, but instead on the true sources of income.