U.S. economy hopes fuel pre-Christmas buying

LONDON (Reuters) - Fresh signs the giant U.S. economy is gaining momentum drove major world stock markets and the euro higher on Friday, with activity likely to be thin in the last session before the Christmas holiday. Market action will be limited until early January with any gains likely to prove short-lived in Europe, where policymakers are no closer to resolving the region's two-year old debt crisis. The single currency was up around 0.3 percent for the day at $1.3085, holding above a recent 11-month low of $1.2945 but down around 2.1 percent on the year. ...