European shares closed slightly lower on Christmas eve trade after a rally in the previous session on hopes the Omicron Covid variant would not have as great an impact as first feared.
With markets either closed or on a half day, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index had barely moved the needle in thin turnover, finishing the day 0.08% lower, with no real new numbers to drive sentiment and traders thinking of stuffing instead of stocks. Asian markets closed mixed, while Wall Street closed higher with the S&P hitting a new record.
Frankfurt, Milan and Madrid were closed for the day, while the UK FTSE 100 was flat and France’s CAC 40 was down 0.14%.
In equity news, British Airways and Iberia owner IAG, cruise operator Carnival and travel giant TUI were all higher on hopes that Omicron won’t dent bookings.
