REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Mongolian-born grand sumo champion Yokozuna Hakuho performs the New Year's ring-entering rite at the annual celebration for the New Year at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo January 8, 2014.
With the US on holiday, The FTSE 100 just closed up 0.58%, or 35.09 points at 6,078.01, in London, while the Euro Stoxx 50 is up 0.5%, and the German DAX is up 0.7%.
Connor Campbell, a financial analyst at SpreadEx, says in an emailed statement:
It's hard to say much about the indices this afternoon. The lack of action from Wall Street, as well as a dearth of European data, meant there was little for investors to work with, and likely contributed to the fairly muted trading atmosphere that crept in as the day went on.
The Eurozone's gains were solid, if unspectacular, with the FTSEFTSE's mining sector posted healthy growth, with Lonmin the notable exception.
Glencore's plan to pay off its $10 billion debt pile by next year helped shares close up 7.3%.
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Glencore opened up as much as 10% but settled back down around 7%.