In holiday-shortened deals, London's benchmark FTSE 100 shares index rose 0.1 percent to end at 7,632.24 points, while the Paris CAC 40 finished flat at 6,029.55 points.
Trading volumes are typically light at this stage with many investors away for extended Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations.Global equities have already enjoyed a"Santa Rally" as dealers welcomed news over the US-China trade war and Brexit, having been on a roller-coaster ride for the last 12 months.
The rally gathered pace at widespread investor relief over the China-US trade pact, with the two economic superpowers set to sign off the deal early next month. Oanda analyst Edward Moya added that he did not expect a repeat of last year's losses the day before Christmas.