European stocks were set to inch higher on Wednesday for a shortened session ahead of the Christmas holiday, tracking a rally on Wall Street sparked by unexpectedly strong US GDP data.
Financial spreadbetters expect Britain’s FTSE 100 to open around 17 points higher, or up 0.3 per cent, Germany’s DAX to open 3 points higher, or up 0.02 per cent, and France’s CAC 40 to open 5 points higher, or up 0.1 per cent.
Both the Dow and S&P 500 hit intra-day record highs in their fifth-straight day of gains on Tuesday on Wall Street, with the Dow closing above 18,000 for the first-time ever.
Data showed on Tuesday that the US economy grew at a 5.0 per cent clip in the third quarter, its quickest pace in 11 years and the strongest sign yet that growth has decisively shifted into higher gear.