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.

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%).

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

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.

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%