European markets poised for lackluster open ahead of shortened trading session

Group 1 - European markets are expected to open flat to negative as investors assess a volatile year during the Christmas Eve trading session [1] - The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 0.3% higher, reaching a new record closing high, driven by Novo Nordisk's share price surge after FDA approval for the first GLP-1 pill [2] - Sanofi announced the acquisition of Dynavax for $2.2 billion, which has a marketed adult hepatitis B vaccine and a shingles vaccine candidate [2] Group 2 - Gold and silver futures reached new highs, trading at $4,514.3 per ounce and $72.165 per ounce, respectively [3] - Asia-Pacific markets mostly traded higher, with several indexes closing early for the Christmas Eve holiday [6]