By Ragini Mathur
Dec 24 (Reuters) - European shares were little changed on Wednesday as investors paused after the broader index closed at a record high and holiday-shortened trading curbed activity.
The
pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.1% at 589.16 by 0924 GMT.
The index is up about 16% so far this year, set for its strongest annual performance since 2021, supported by easing interest rates, Germany’s fiscal spending push and portfolio shifts away from richly valued U.S. technology stocks.
Trading volumes are expected to remain thin heading into the holidays, with several European markets closed or operating shortened sessions. Bourses in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris will close early, while markets in Germany and Milan are shut.
Commodity-linked stocks edged higher. Energy shares rose 0.3% as oil prices extended gains for a sixth session.
Miners ticked up after prices of gold, silver, platinum and copper hit record highs amid strong demand.
Swissquote senior market analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya said "forces pushing metal prices higher" such as heavy government debt in 2026, geopolitical uncertainty and looser monetary policy, among others, keep the outlook for metal prices positive in the medium to long term.
"In the short term, however, prices have risen too far, too fast, and a correction would be healthy."
On Tuesday, the European benchmark notched a fresh all-time-high, primarily driven by robust healthcare stocks after pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk secured crucial U.S. approval for its weight-loss pill.
Sentiment was also lifted by data showing the U.S. economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter, prompting investors to trim some bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts despite the release being delayed by the government shutdown.
Markets expect the next Fed chair to lean dovish, keeping the U.S. policy outlook central for investors next year. Europe’s rate path looks more hawkish into 2026 after the European Central Bank held rates last week, signalling a possible end to its easing cycle and a potential divergence from the Fed.
Among individual stocks, BP rose as much as 1.4% before trimming gains after agreeing to sell a 65% stake in Castrol to investment firm Stonepeak for about $6 billion.
(Reporting by Ragini Mathur and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
