European indices added gains in a shortened session as volumes thin out near the end of the year. The DAX 30 is closed for the whole day. Trading on the London Stock Exchange will end at 12:30 GMT, Paris will close 30 minutes later. Today markets await data from the U.S. on Initial Jobless Claims, the Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index, Pending Home Sales and Crude Oil Inventories.

In today's session the FTSE 100 index added +0.20% quoted at 6,559.87 points set for a yearly loss of -2.7% due to its high exposure to the energy and commodities sectors. France's CAC 40 rose +0.66% trading at 4,273.67. Yesterday the DAX 30 closed at 9,805.55 points, a loss of 1.22% ending the year with a gain of 2.65%.