STOXX 600 set to end 2024 with 5.9 gain
Half day trading in UK, France, Spain on Tues
German DAX outperforms with nearly 19 surge in 2024

Dec 30 Reuters European stocks edged lower on Monday as elevated government bond yields prompted investors to pull out of equities at the end of a year that has been positive for some regional markets.

The panEuropean STOXX 600 index dropped 0.3 by 0947 GMT, with technology and industrial goods makers leading broadbased declines.

Trading volumes were thin ahead of the New Year holiday on Wednesday. Stock markets in Germany, Italy and Switzerland are shut on Tuesday as well, while those in the UK and France have a halfday trading session.

The 10year German bund yield traded at its highest since midNovember, tracking a rise in U.S. Treasury yields, as uncertainty around monetary policy next year and prospects of inflationary policies under a Trump presidency weighed on investor sentiment.

The STOXX 600 is still on course for a 5.9 annual rise, with German stocks leading regional gains and French shares lagging.

Still, the European benchmark lags the SP 50039;s 25 surge this year as interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve and a boom in AI trades boosted Wall Street39;s tech behemoths.

The surging SP 500 and Nasdaq underscore the market39;s techfuelled triumph, though last Friday39;s selloff, triggered by climbing Treasury yields, was a sobering reminder of lingering rate concerns, said Matt Britzman, senior equity researcher…