European shares end holiday-shortened week near record highs

European shares ended the holiday-shortened trading week near record highs and on track for their strongest annual performance since 2021, supported by easing interest rates, Germany’s fiscal spending push and diversification from richly valued U.S. technology stocks.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was unchanged at 588.61 on Wednesday. London’s FTSE 100 dipped 0.2%, Spain’s IBEX was unchanged and France’s CAC 40 was 0.1% lower.

Liquidity was thin with bourses in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris closing early, while markets in Germany and Milan were shut all day.

Luxury stocks were the top gainers with heavyweights Cartier-owner Richemont, LVMH and Kering adding around 1% each.

Miners ticked up after prices of gold, silver, platinum and copper hit record highs.

Swissquote senior market analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya said “forces pushing metal prices higher” such as heavy government debt in 2026, geopolitical uncertainty and looser monetary policy, among others, keep the outlook for metals prices positive in the medium to long term.

“In the short term, however, prices have risen too far, too fast, and a correction would be healthy.”

Aerospace & defence stocks led declines, dipping 0.2%. The index is among the top gainers this year, up almost 56%.

The European benchmark marked a fresh all-time-high on Tuesday after pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk secured U.S. approval for its weight-loss pill.

Sentiment was also lifted by data showing the U.S. economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter.

“This is supportive for equities, as it underpins expectations for continued earnings strength into 2026 … (but) it complicates the outlook for monetary policy,” said Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com

Markets expect the next Fed chair to lean dovish, keeping the U.S. policy outlook central for investors next year. Europe’s rate path looks more hawkish into 2026 after the European Central Bank held rates last week, signalling a possible end to its easing cycle and a potential divergence from the Fed.

BP rose more than 1% before ending down 0.4% after agreeing to sell a 65% stake in Castrol to investment firm Stonepeak for about $6 billion.

French drugmaker Sanofi said it would buy U.S. vaccines company Dynavax Technologies for around $2.2 billion, in a deal that will give it access to an approved hepatitis B vaccine. Sanofi’s shares were marginally lower.