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By Bloomberg

European shares were little changed, after their biggest six-day rally in three years, in shortened trading hours for Christmas Eve.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed less than 0.1 percent to 344.2 at 8:26 a.m. in London. Energy companies rose for a sixth day in seven, posting the biggest gain among 19 industry groups.

The European index rallied 6.4 percent in the past six days, its biggest jump since December 2011, as oil-and-gas producers rebounded, the Federal Reserve said it will be patient in the timing of interest-rate increases and the U.S. economy expanded more than forecast. The Stoxx 600 has recovered about two-thirds of the losses it posted earlier this month and closed 2 percent below its almost seven-year high reached Dec. 5. It’s down 0.9 percent for December, trimming its advance for the year to 4.9 percent.

Trading on the London Stock Exchange will end at 12:30 p.m. local time today, and NYSE Euronext’s European cash markets are closing 35 minutes later. The Madrid bourse will stop trading at 2 p.m. local time. Bourses in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the Nordic countries are closed.

The volume of Stoxx 600 shares changing hands was 73 percent below the 30-day average today, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Energy shares in Europe are heading for their highest level since Dec. 5. BP Plc gained 1.4 percent and Tullow Oil Plc added 1.9 percent.

Amid stocks moving on corporate news, Smith & Nephew Plc jumped 9.5 percent as people familiar with the matter said Stryker Corp. is planning a takeover offer for the U.K. medical- device maker, a bid that could come within weeks. HeidelbergCement AG added 1.7 percent after saying it will sell its North American and U.K. building products business.

In the U.S., a report may show that initial jobless claims climbed to 290,000 in the week ended Dec. 20. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures and Dow Jones Industrial Average contracts were little changed after the indexes climbed to records. The Dow topped 18,000 for the first time.