European markets open higher; Stoxx 600, DAX, CAC 40
LONDON — European markets opened in positive territory on Wednesday as investors took stock of a volatile year during the shortened trading session on Christmas Eve.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was almost 0.1% higher at the opening bell.
The benchmark hit a new record closing high on Tuesday, driven by a rising share price after Copenhagen-listed Novo Nordisk received FDA approval for its first GLP-1 pill. Novo Nordisk’s share price continued to rise on Wednesday, most recently up over 9%.
French pharmaceutical company sanofi On Tuesday, it announced that it would acquire US company Dynavax in a deal worth $2.2 billion. Dynavax’s marketed adult hepatitis B vaccine and shingles vaccine candidate are also being studied. Sanofi shares fell 1% in early deals.
Gold And silver Futures are declining, reaching new highs in both Monday and Tuesday’s trading sessions. They were last traded at $4,514.7 and $72,155 per ounce, respectively.
Thierry Breton, the former European Union commissioner behind the Digital Services Act, and anti-disinformation campaigners have received visa bans from the US for allegedly censoring US social media platforms. This comes as President Donald Trump continues to increase travel restrictions on foreign visitors and criticizes Europe.
“For too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to force American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement about X, but did not identify anyone. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers later identified the five affected individuals.
Elsewhere, Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher as many indexes closed early for the Christmas Eve holiday. US stock futures traded near the flat line overnight, despite the S&P 500 also hitting a record close.
