Most European stocks advanced amid shortened trading hours for Christmas Eve and before a report on U.S. new-house sales. U.S. index futures and Asian shares were little changed.

European stocks yesterday completed their biggest four-day rally since April after the International Monetary Fund said it will raise its forecast for U.S. economic growth. The Stoxx 600 has gained 16 percent this year, putting it on course for its best annual performance since 2009, as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England pledged to leave interest rates near record lows for a prolonged period.

U.S. GDP will probably accelerate in 2014, according to economists’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg, while the euro area will return to growth after two years of contraction. Japan may expand for a third year, the forecasts show.

Boskalis advanced 2.7 percent to 38.22 euros. The company said its Dockwise business has won a contract to transport equipment from China and Malaysia to Chevron Corp.’s Wheatstone project in Western Australia. Separately, Het Financieele Dagblad reported that Boskalis has started talks to buy Fairmount Marine BV. The newspaper cited a company spokesman.

Bankia added 1 percent to 1.17 euros. The lender said after markets closed yesterday that it has reached an agreement with an unidentified buyer to cede its stakes in a portfolio of venture-capital firms. It disclosed no financial details.

British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc, the U.K.’s largest pay-TV provider, rose 2.5 percent to 833 pence. The Daily Mail cited speculation that Vodafone Group Plc may bid for BSkyB to bundle its mobile-phone services with the satellite TV company’s broadband, TV and landline products. Vodafone’s shares added 0.2 percent to 236.5 pence.

Publicis Groupe SA climbed 0.8 percent to 65.06 euros after the advertising agency said that Lagardere SCA has bought its 49 percent stake in a media business. Regie 1 is the media agency for Lagardere’s radio station, Europe 1.

Brent crude advanced to near its highest level in three weeks as violence in South Sudan forced a partial shutdown of oil production facilities.

Futures were up as much as 0.3 percent and are poised to end the year higher for the fifth time. Fighting in South Sudan, which exports about 220,000 barrels a day, has killed at least 500 people and led to the evacuation of employees from India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corp. There will be no floor or electronic trading tomorrow due to the Christmas holiday.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked the Security Council for 5,500 soldiers to add to the peacekeeping mission of 7,000 already in South Sudan. The U.S. is positioning troops in the Horn of Africa region to assist in any additional evacuations, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said yesterday.

South Sudan has sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest oil reserves after Nigeria and Angola, according to BP Plc data.

Gasoline stockpiles stockpiles in the U.S., the world’s largest oil consumer, probably rose by 1.1 million barrels in the week ended Dec. 20, according to the median estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg before Energy Information Administration data on Dec. 27. Supplies have climbed the previous four weeks to 220.5 million, said the EIA, the Energy Department’s statistical arm.

Crude inventories are projected to have decreased by 3 million barrels, the survey shows.

Brent for February settlement rose as much as 34 cents to $111.90 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange and was at $111.74 as of 1:08 p.m. in London. The contract closed at $111.77 on Dec. 20, the highest in more than two weeks. The volume of all futures traded was about 74 percent below the 100-day average. Prices have increased 0.7 percent this year.

West Texas Intermediate for February delivery was up 16 cents at $99.07 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent was at a premium of $12.69 to WTI. The spread widened yesterday for a fourth day to close at $13.

Gold prices held near $ 1,200 , showing a slight increase after a report on orders for durable goods in the U.S. increased the appeal of gold as a safe asset.

Last week, the price dropped to a six-month low of $ 1.185,10 an ounce, after the Fed announced a reduction incentive program . From the beginning, gold fell by nearly 30 percent a year and can complete a maximum decline in 32 years .

Recent data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that demand for durable goods increased significantly in the last month , surpassing forecasts while . Experts point out that with the growth of business investment at the fastest pace since January , the latest report is a sign of renewed confidence among companies.

According to the report , orders for U.S. durable goods rose 3.5 percent last month , while offsetting the decline of 0.7 per cent , which was recorded in October. Excluding transportation , orders for durable goods rose 1.2 percent , showing the largest increase since May of this year. According to the average forecast of economists , total orders had increased by only 1.7 percent, compared with a decline of 1.6 percent in October , which was originally reported. As for orders excluding transportation , they are estimated to have been up by 0.9 percent, after rising 0.7 percent in October (initially reported drop of 0.1 percent) .

Stocks of the world's largest exchange-traded fund backed by gold (ETF) SPDR Gold Trust on Monday fell by 8.4 tonnes to 805.72 tonnes - the minimum level in nearly five years.

Surcharge gold 99.99 percent purity on the Shanghai Futures Exchange on Tuesday rose to $ 20 per ounce to $ 16 on Monday, pointing to the increase in demand at the price falls below $ 1,200 .

Cost February gold futures on the COMEX today rose to $ 1202.30 per ounce.

U.S. stock futures were little changed,  as data showed orders for durable goods climbed more than forecast in November.

Global markets:

Nikkei 15,889.33 +18.91 +0.12%

Hang Seng 23,179.55 +257.99 +1.13%

Shanghai Composite 2,092.91 +3.20 +0.15%

FTSE 6,694.17 +15.56 +0.23%

CAC 4,218.41 +3.12 +0.07%

DAX 9,488.82 +88.64 +0.94%

Crude oil $99.01 (+0.10%).

Gold $1200.10 (+0.26%).

USD/JPY Y102.00, Y103.00, Y103.90, Y104.00/05, Y104.70/75, Y105.00

EUR/USD $1.3650, $1.3675, $1.3700, $1.3750, $1.3800

USD/CAD Cad1.0535, Cad1.0540/45, Cad1.0550, Cad1.0570

Data

05:00 Japan Monthly Economic Report Bank of Japan in December

7:45 France Consumer spending in November -0.2% +0.3% +1.4%

7:45 France Consumer Spending y / y in November -0.1 % -0.1 % +1.5 %

7:45 France GDP q / q ( final data ) III m -0.1 % -0.1 % -0.1 %

7:45 France GDP y / y (final ) III m +0.2% +0.2% +0.2%

09:30 UK approved applications for mortgage loans as BBA, th November 42.8 44.5 45.0

The dollar rose slightly against the euro, on the eve of the release of statistics on the volume of orders for durable goods in the United States. According to the median forecast of economists , the November figure to grow by 1.7 %, whereas in the previous month , it fell by 2%. Recall that yesterday 's report showed that U.S. consumer spending rose in November, the largest in the last five months , thereby complementing the recent series of strong data pointing to a sustained U.S. economic recovery. This set of positive data justifies the Fed's recent actions aimed at reducing monthly bond purchases since January .

Meanwhile, we add that the course of trade is also affected data on the GDP of France . As it became known , the French economy shrank by 0.1 percent in the third quarter, and confirmed the initial assessment, and being in line with economists' forecasts . Reported by the Statistical Office of Insee.

Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Statistics revised slightly upward GDP growth for the second quarter - to the level of 0.6 per cent compared with the previous estimate at around 0.5 percent. The data also showed that the annualized gross domestic product grew in the third quarter by 0.2 percent , which was in line with expectations of experts , as well as equal to the initial assessment .

Pound rose against the dollar , recovering with almost all previously lost ground, which has helped to publish a report on Britain. The data , which were presented by the British Bankers Association showed that the number of mortgage approvals in the UK has increased markedly in the last month , while reaching the highest level since December 2009 , but, despite this, remained well below the levels that were observed to the financial crisis.

According to the report , the number of approved applications for mortgage loans, which is a reliable indicator of future housing market has risen in the past month, 45,044 units, compared to the upwardly revised figure for the previous month at 43,315 units (initially reported 42.8 thousand). It is worth noting that according to the average forecasts of experts, this indicator would grow by 44.5 thousand

EUR / USD: during the European session, the pair fell to $ 1.3670

GBP / USD: during the European session, the pair fell to $ 1.6320 , but then returned to the area of ​​$ 1.6345/50

USD / JPY: during the European session, the pair fell Y103.77, then recovered slightly

At 13:30 GMT the United States to declare changes in orders for durable goods in November. At 15:00 GMT the U.S. will report on sales in the primary market in November.

EUR/USD

Offers $1.3800, $1.3770/80, $1.3750, $1.3730, $1.3700

Bids $1.3650, $1.3620, $1.3600, $1.3590

GBP/USD

Offers $1.6480, $1.6450, $1.6410, $1.6390/400, $1.6375/80

Bids $1.6325/20, $1.6300, $1.6295/90, $1.6280/75

AUD/USD

Offers $0.9050, $0.9020, $0.9000, $0.8980/90, $0.8955/60

Bids $0.8900, $0.8880, $0.8855/50, $0.8825/20, $0.8800, $0.8780

EUR/JPY

Offers Y144.00, Y143.80, Y143.50, Y143.20, Y143.00

Bids Y142.50, Y142.05/00, Y141.80/60, Y141.50, Y141.25/20

USD/JPY

Offers Y105.00, Y104.80, Y104.75, Y104.50

Bids Y104.00, Y103.80/75, Y103.65/60, Y103.50

EUR/GBP

Offers stg0.8480, stg0.8467, stg0.8435/40, stg0.8415/20, stg0.8400, stg0.8380/85

Bids stg0.8350, stg0.8330/20, stg0.8300/290, stg0.8260/50, stg0.8250

Most European stocks advanced amid shortened trading hours for Christmas Eve and before reports on U.S. durable-goods orders and new-house sales. U.S. index futures and Asian shares were little changed.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.2 percent to 324.18 at 9:40 a.m. in London as more than two stocks climbed for every one that dropped.

“A more synchronized growth story is set to unfold in 2014, with each of the major regions logging positive gross domestic product and most seeing a pick-up over 2013,” Hans Olsen, the New York-based chief investment officer for the Americas at Barclays Wealth, wrote in a report. “The prospect of greater volatility and lower returns aside, developed equity markets will likely offer a compensatory return for investors.”

European stocks yesterday completed their biggest four-day rally since April after the International Monetary Fund said it will raise its forecast for U.S. economic growth. The Stoxx 600 has gained 16 percent this year, putting it on course for its best annual performance since 2009, as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England pledged to leave interest rates near record lows for a prolonged period.

U.S. GDP will probably accelerate in 2014, according to economists’ estimates, while the euro area will return to growth after two years of contraction. Japan may expand for a third year, the forecasts show.

A Commerce Department report will show that orders for durable goods in the U.S. rose 2 percent in November, according to poll of economists. The department will release figures on new house sales for last month. They will show that Americans bought 440,000 new properties at an annual pace in November, according to economists surveyed. New-house sales amounted to 444,000 in October.

Boskalis gained 2.8 percent to 38.28 euros. The company said its Dockwise business has won a contract to transport equipment from China and Malaysia to Chevron Corp.’s Wheatstone project in Western Australia. Separately, Het Financieele Dagblad reported that Boskalis has started talks to buy Fairmount Marine BV. The newspaper cited a company spokesman.

Bankia added 2.3 percent to 1.18 euros. The lender said after markets closed yesterday that it has reached an agreement with an unidentified buyer to cede its stakes in a portfolio of venture-capital firms. It disclosed no financial details.

FTSE 100 6,703.65 +25.04 +0.37%

CAC 40 4,217.17 +1.88 +0.04%

DAX 9,488.82 +88.64 +0.94% Closed

USD/JPY Y102.00, Y103.00, Y103.90, Y104.00, Y104.75

EUR/USD $1.3650, $1.3700, $1.3750, $1.3800

Asian stocks outside Japan gained, with the regional benchmark gauge rallying for a sixth day, after data showed the U.S. economic recovery gaining momentum and China’s central bank moved to ease a cash crunch.

Nikkei 225 15,889.33 +18.91 +0.12%

S&P/ASX 200 5,327.25 +35.30 +0.67%

Shanghai Composite 2,092.91 +3.20 +0.15%

Techtronic Industries Co., a power-tool maker that gets 73 percent of sales from North America, climbed 3.4 percent in Hong Kong after U.S. consumer spending rose.

Agricultural Bank of China Ltd., the nation’s third-biggest lender, gained 1.3 percent.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average pared gains to 0.1 percent after touching 16,000 for the first time in six years.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. jumped 4.3 percent after the Japanese carmaker raised its operating-profit forecast.

05:00 Japan BoJ monthly economic report December

The dollar rose toward a five-year high against the yen as traders bet on a divergence in monetary policy with the U.S. Federal Reserve paring stimulus while the Bank of Japan continues unprecedented easing. The Fed said Dec. 18 it plans to cut monthly bond purchases in January to $75 billion from $85 billion, while reinforcing its assurance that interest rates will remain low for an extended period. Policy makers will probably reduce bond purchases in $10 billion increments over the next seven meetings before ending the program in December 2014, economists said in a Bloomberg poll.

In Japan, the central bank is buying more than 7 trillion yen ($67.1 billion) in government bonds each month in an effort to end 15 years of deflation. BOJ officials see significant scope to boost bond purchases if necessary to achieve their 2 percent inflation target, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The yen fell against all but one of its 16 major counterparts as the Nikkei 225 (NKY) Stock Index topped 16,000 for the first time since 2007 and China conducted operations to ease a cash crunch, cutting demand for Japan’s currency as a haven.

U.S. orders for durable goods probably rebounded in November, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before today’s Commerce Department data.

Australia’s dollar fell against the greenback for the first time in four days.

EUR / USD: during the Asian session the pair fell to $ 1.3675

GBP / USD: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of $ 1.6330-55

USD / JPY: during the Asian session, the pair rose to Y104.40

Gold $1,197.20 +0.20 +0.02%

Oil $98.80 -0.11 -0.11%

Nikkei 225 Closed

S&P/ASX 200 5,291.95 +26.73 +0.51%

Shanghai Composite 2,089.71 +4.91 +0.24%

FTSE 100 6,678.61 +72.03 +1.09%

CAC 40 4,215.29 +21.52 +0.51%

DAX 9,488.82 +88.64 +0.94%

Dow 16,294.61 +73.47 +0.45%

Nasdaq 4,148.90 +44.16 +1.08%

S&P 500 1,827.99 +9.67 +0.53%

(pare/closed(00:00 GMT +02:00)/change, %)

EUR/USD $1,3695 +0,11%

GBP/USD $1,6354 +0,09%

USD/CHF Chf0,8938 -0,16%

USD/JPY Y104,09 +0,03%

EUR/JPY Y142,56 +0,15%

GBP/JPY Y170,24 +0,14%

AUD/USD $0,8932 +0,10%

NZD/USD $0,8198 +0,02%

USD/CAD C$1,0609 -0,35%

05:00 Japan BoJ monthly economic report December

06:00 Germany Bank holiday

07:45 France Consumer spending November -0.2% +0.3%

07:45 France Consumer spending, y/y November -0.1% -0.1%

07:45 France GDP, q/q (Finally) Quarter III -0.1% -0.1%

07:45 France GDP, Y/Y (Finally) Quarter III +0.2% +0.2%

09:30 United Kingdom BBA Mortgage Approvals November 42.8 44.5

13:30 U.S. Durable Goods Orders November -2.0% +1.7%

13:30 U.S. Durable Goods Orders ex Transportation November -0.1% +0.9%

13:30 U.S. Durable goods orders ex defense November -1.3%

14:00 U.S. Housing Price Index, m/m October +0.3% +0.5%

14:00 U.S. Housing Price Index, y/y October +8.5%

15:00 U.S. Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index December 13 15

15:00 U.S. New Home Sales November 444 449

23:50 Japan CSPI, y/y November +0.8% +0.8%