Asian stocks finished mostly higher but European stock markets were in the red before a crucial vote in the Greek presidential elections.
Here are five things that matter for markets now:
- All eyes are on the third and last round of presidential elections in Greece. Parliament's failure to elect a president would trigger early elections, with left-wing party Syriza likely to win. Syriza wants to negotiate a new bailout for Greece.
- Renewed violence in Libya has cut the country's oil production, helping to push the price of oil higher. Libya has Africa's largest oil reserves but has seen production drop from 900,000 barrels a day to less than 400,000 barrels a day since October because of fighting. Islamists seized the capital after decisively losing elections in June.
- Russia's economy contracted sharply in November, for the first time since October 2009, under the effect of the collapse in the price of oil and Western sanctions. The Economy Ministry said November GDP contracted by 0.5 percent year-on-year because of lower contributions from the construction, services and agriculture sectors.
- Sony said "The Interview," the film about a plot to murder the leader of North Korea that has prompted threats from hackers, made more than $15 million online. The comedy had been purchased or rented online more than two million times on the four days through Saturday, making it Sony Pictures' top online movie of all time.
- China's December official PMI is likely to have dropped to the lowest level since June 2013, according to estimates in a Reuters poll of analysts. The poll put the figure at 50.1, just above the 50 level separating expansion from contraction. The data will be released on Thursday, Jan. 1.
