Global Stocks: DOW below 18,000

U.S. stocks closed lower on Tuesday with the DOW JONES falling below the 18,000 milestone as the political turmoil in Greece and falling oil prices weighed. The DOW JONES lost -0.31% closing at 17,983.07. The S&P 500 declined by -0.49% with a final quote of 2,080.35. U.S. data showed Consumer Confidence rebounding below estimates. The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index was better-than expected with a reading of +4.5% for october but below the +4.8% in September. Today markets await Initial Jobless Claims, the Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index, Pending Home Sales and Crude Oil Inventories.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained +0.44% closing at 23,605.04 points. China's Shanghai Composite rallied to a close at 3,233.96 points, a plus of +2.15% for the day and a gain of 52.9% for 2014. China's HSBC Manufacturing PMI rose from 49.5 to 49.6 beating estimates by 0.1 but still indicating a decrease in activity with a reading below 50.

Japan's Nikkei slipped -1.57% closing at 17,450.77 finishing the year with a plus of 7.12% fuelled by the BoJ assest purchases and a weakening Japanese yen.