European markets closed lower on Thursday, the final trading day of a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic and extraordinary stimulus measures that have tried to mitigate the economic hit from the health crisis. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.14 percent lower on New Year’s Eve after a shorter trading session, CNBC reports. London’s FTSE index closed 1.45 percent lower on the final day that the U.K. is a de-facto member of the EU’s single market and customs union before Brexit is definitively implemented. Year-to-date, the Stoxx 600 index is down by 3.7 percent, however it is up by nearly 11 percent for the quarter. Looking at individual indexes, the FTSE is down by almost 14 percent year-to-date, marking its worst year since 2008.

Source: The Standard December 31, 2020 15:33 UTC