European stocks continued to rise for the third consecutive session today, supported by low inflation data in France, the second largest economy in the Eurozone, in addition to better-than-expected data on the activities of European companies. The European Stoxx 600 ended its trading up by 1.4 percent, and the French CAC 40 closed up by 2.3 percent, bringing both indices close to their highest level in three weeks. European stocks rose much more than Wall Street stocks for the second consecutive session, indicating that investors may be preparing to turn to stocks in the European continent during the coming period. The Stoxx 600 index recorded a rise of 3.6 percent in the first three trading days of the new year, supported by the decline in natural gas futures contracts.
