European Markets Likely To Remain Lackluster Amid Thin Volumes

Stock markets in France and U.K. will close early on Wednesday, while those in Germany and Switzerland will remain closed for Christmas Eve.

In the European markets, where trading will take place on Wednesday, the volumes are likely to remain rather thin, and movements somewhat lackluster, as traders are most likely to stay on the sidelines ahead of upcoming holidays.

The positive lead from Wall Street amid easing concerns about valuations of AI-related stocks, and optimism about more monetary easing by the Federal Reserve may aid sentiment.

The markets are unlikely to see any significant up or downside today, and activity is expected to remain stock specific with corporate news setting the trend.

European stocks closed higher on Tuesday with some of the markets hitting fresh highs, amid continued optimism the Federal Reserve will consider more rate cuts next year. The volume of business was thin in most the markets as traders remained on the sidelines ahead of upcoming Christmas holidays.

The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.34%. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 and Germany’s DAX gained 0.24% and 0.23%, respectively, while France’s CAC 40 edged lower by 0.21%. Switzerland’s SMI climbed 0.6%.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Tuesday after showing a lack of direction early in the session. The S&P 500 reached a new record closing high.

The S&P 500 climbed 31.30 points or 0.5% to 6,909.79 and the Nasdaq advanced 133.02 points or 0.6% to 23,561.84, while the Dow rose 79.73 points or 0.2% to 48,442.41.

The Commerce Department said real gross domestic product spiked by 4.3% in the third quarter after surging by 3.8% in the second quarter. Economists had expected GDP to jump by 3.3%.

At the same, the report also showed the pace of consumer price growth accelerated in the third quarter compared to the second quarter.

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