European stocks logged a second consecutive record close on Tuesday, lifted by banks and commodity-linked shares, although gains were capped by thin, year-end trading.
Many European exchanges will be shut on Wednesday, while others, including London and Paris, will run shortened sessions in advance of the new year holiday.
Dublin
The Irish index of shares rose on Tuesday, buoyed by rises in banking and construction stocks as the year wound to a close.
AIB and Bank of Ireland rose 0.33 per cent and 1.32 per cent respectively to close the day on a positive note. Permanent TSB performed less strongly, closing 2 per cent lower on thinner volumes.
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Insulation specialist Kingspan was up 0.8 per cent, while home builders Cairn and Glenveagh also made gains on the day.
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Ryanair was 0.85 per cent higher over the session.
London
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended 0.8 per cent higher at 9940.7 points to hit a historic high for the first time in nearly seven weeks. The mid-cap FTSE 250 index eked out a 0.7 per cent gain.
On the day, shares of Fresnillo climbed 6.8 per cent, while Glencore, Anglo American and Rio Tinto added between 1.3 per cent and 2.5 per cent as gold, silver and copper prices recovered from Monday’s lows.
Oil giants Shell and BP added about 0.9 per cent each, tracking higher oil prices.
Banks also supported the rally, with HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and Standard Chartered up between 0.8 per cent and 1.6 per cent.
In corporate news, Ocado said the exclusivity of its agreements to provide retailers with pickup and dispatch technology has ended as previously signalled, allowing it to sign on more partners. Its shares ended 0.3 per cent higher.
Europe
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.6 per cent at 592.78, edging ever closer to the 600 points milestone.
Banks jumped 1.3 per cent, while aerospace and defence gained 1.4 per cent.
Basic resources led the STOXX 600 higher, up 1.7 per cent, as silver and gold steadied after a sharp retreat from record highs.
Energy added 0.7 per cent. Oil prices climbed more than 2 per cent in the prior session after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking President Vladimir Putin’s residence, while investors looked for clearer signals on Ukraine peace talks.
All STOXX 600 subindexes were in the green, with Technology rising 0.7 per cent.
Among individual stocks, Airbus rose 1.5 per cent after Air China signed an agreement with the plane maker to buy 60 A320NEO jets.
New York
US stocks edged lower on Tuesday, while gold bounced back and benchmark Treasury yields turned higher on the penultimate trading day of a turbulent year.
All three indexes dipped into negative territory shortly after the opening bell of what is likely to be a light-volume session, a subdued ending to a volatile year.
Minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s last meeting of the year are expected later in the session. They should provide insight into the disagreement among its members regarding the central bank’s decision to cut interest rates in December and shed light on the path forward of its monetary policy in 2026.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 127.26 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 48,334.67, the S&P 500 fell 10.70 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 6,895.04 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 39.80 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 23,434.55. – Additional reporting: Reuters
