European indices extended gains for a sixth day amid a global end-of-year rally tracking gains in the U.S. markets as volumes thin out near the end of the year. Investors will be looking to Greece today where the second round of voting for a president will be held in parliament. In the first round Prime Minister Samaras failed to achieve the two-thirds majority for his candidate. Investors will also look closely on a set of important data in the U.K published at 9:30 GMT and in the U.S. The report may show that the U.S. GDP grew more in the last quarter than anticipated.
The FTSE 100 index is currently trading +0.63% quoted at 6,618.27 points, Germany's DAX 30 added +0.35% trading at 9,900.72. France's CAC 40 rose by +0.57%, currently trading at 4,278.85 points. France's consumer spending was better-than-expected with a reading of +0.4% compared to forecasts of +0.2%. GDP on a quarterly basis was in line with expectations reading +0.3% for the third quarter. On a yearly basis the GDP declined from +0.8% to +0.4%.