UK, French stocks advance at open on New Year's Eve

London: The British and French stock markets rose at the open on Monday for the final trading day of 2018, but Frankfurt remains shut for the festive break.
In initial deals, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of major British blue-chip companies climbed 0.2 percent to 6,746.69 points.
In the eurozone, the Paris CAC 40 gained 0.6 per cent to 4,708.74 points, compared with Friday's closing level.
London and Paris face half-day New Year's Eve trading, and will close at 1230GMT and 1305GMT respectively.
Frankfurt meanwhile remains closed for business after the DAX 30 index gained 1.7 per cent on Friday to finish at 10,558.96 points.
However, the DAX index dived 18.3 per cent in value over the course of 2018, in a tumultuous and volatile year for stock markets worldwide.