Gold passing US$1,500 is seen as big news in a quiet Christmas Eve session, suggesting investors may be hedging against a possible inflation hike next year. — Reuters pic
European stocks ground out fresh record gains as did the Nasdaq on Wall Street as equities remained on track to post their best year in a decade. Blue-chip shares in China rose 0.7 per cent after Premier Li Keqiang said the government was considering more measures to lower corporate financing costs and hinted at “targeted” cuts in banks' reserve requirement ratio.