That's all from the Business Live page for tonight. See you again tomorrow from 06:00.

Image source, AFP

The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the suspected falsifying of documents at energy giant Areva's Le Creusot foundry that manufactures parts for nuclear reactors, Reuters reports.

The case, which alleges forgery, use of forged documents, endangerment of lives and aggravated deception, will be put in the hands of the police, a source told the news agency.

French nuclear safety regulator ASN said in October that it had asked the courts to step in to investigate after Areva sounded the alarm in May over documentation irregularities involving 6,000 nuclear component manufacturing files.

Thousands of such documents used in the French nuclear sector dating back to 1965 are being looked at. "We have not been informed (of the investigation) at this point," a spokeswoman for Areva said, adding that the group would cooperate with the investigation and hand over all information at its disposal. 

Major US stock indexes have closed at fresh record highs, bolstered by data showing US labor market strength, as a month-long rally since the presidential election of Donald Trump rolled on.

Investors have driven up equities since Trump's 8 November election over optimism about domestic economic stimulus and reduced corporate taxes and regulations.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 62.95 points, or 0.32%, to 19,612.57, the S&P 500 gained 4.76 points, or 0.21%, climbing to 2,246.12 and the Nasdaq Composite added 23.59 points, or 0.44%, rising to 5,417.36.

Los Angeles prosecutors have announced they have filed lawsuits against retail giants JC Penney, Sears, Kohl's and Macy's for misleading shoppers into believing thousands of products were on sale at deep discounts. 

The suits allege the retailers illegally engaged in the business practice known as "false-reference pricing" to make customers believe they are "getting a good deal." 

"Customers have the right to be told the truth about the prices they're paying, and to know if a bargain is really a bargain," said Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer in a statement.

"My office will fight to hold retailers responsible for their practices and to ensure consumers can make informed choices when spending their hard-earned money."

The retailers have yet to comment on the action. 

Image source, Getty Images

Stories of mass protests against austerity measures in Greece seem to have fallen off the front pages. But the budget cuts are still biting - and the protesters are still fighting back.

A nationwide general strike today brought parts of the country to a standstill, prompting Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to announce one-off measures to ease the burden on pensioners and island residents.

Tsipras said in a televised address that the government would distribute a total of €617m this Christmas to some 1.6 million low-income pensioners, replacing a holiday bonus scrapped by Greece's bailout creditors.

Years of recession and austerity have left nearly a quarter of Greeks unemployed, with most no longer receiving any state benefits.   

German carmaker Daimler will become this year's biggest and most profitable maker of luxury cars. Who's making this bold claim? The chief executive, Dieter Zetsche.

"We will achieve it this year, four years ahead of time," he told a conference in Frankfurt this evening.

Daimler had a target to be the world's biggest premium carmaker by 2020. It was a goal set in 2011, and, Zetsche recalls, it caused a ripple of laughter throughout the industry.

But Daimler's passenger car unit Mercedes Benz is on track for full-year sales of more than two million cars, Zetsche said, putting it ahead of rivals Audi and BMW. 

The seemingly unstoppable rise of US share markets continues. With less than an hour to the closing bell, the three main indexes are on course for more record highs.

The Dow Jones is 0.29% ahead at 19,606.34, the S&P 500 is 0.12% better at 2,244.03, and the Nasdaq is 0.11 up at 5,399.91.

The Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks, which has soared 1% since Donald Trump's election victory, also hit a new high. 

Image source, Getty Images

It's being widely reported in the US that President-elect Donald Trump's latest appointment will be fast-food boss Andy Puzder (above with Trump) to head the US Department of Labor.

Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, which operates the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's chains, has been a vociferous critic of government regulation of the workplace. 

He is particularly opposed to higher minimum wages, arguing it would hurt workers by forcing restaurants to close.

Fast-food workers, who are largely not unionised, have been engaged in a long and high profile campaign known as the "Fight for $15" to raise minimum wages to $15 per hour. 

Image source, EyeWire

$90.2 trillion - that's the total value of household wealth in the US, including house prices, savings and other assets, according to the Federal Reserve.

The Fed's latest quarterly report on national wealth shows a 1.8% rise on the previous three months. The value of homes rose by $554bn, while investment portfolios rose by $494bn.

But wealth isn't widely shared. The richest 1% held 42% of the nation's wealth in 2012, according to the latest Fed data available. 

In Kenya, music is king. Everywhere you walk, you hear music played: on the streets, on the buses, on people's phones... but the music industry in Kenya has faced some challenges.

One of the issues often cited is that it doesn't have its own defined sound in the same way that Uganda or Tanzania do.

Also, smaller bands can find it hard to monetise their music.

One of Kenya's most famous bands is Sauti Sol. They, however, are very popular throughout Africa and even performed in London earlier this year.

Joshua Thorpe went to meet them during one of their rehearsals and spoke to them about the music industry in Kenya  

Image source, Getty Images

Airlines' profits will fall for the first time in six years in 2017, after peaking this year, as rising oil and staffing costs bite and demand slows, the International Air Transport Association said.

IATA, representing some 265 airlines accounting for 83% of global air traffic, said it expects the industry's net profits to fall 16% to $29.8bn next year, mainly due to rising oil prices. North American carriers will account for $18.1bn of the total.

The association also cut its 2016 forecast for net profits to $35.6bn, still a record high but down from a previous prediction for $39.4bn. 

A slightly alarming report from the Wall Street Journal: 

Image source, Getty Images

The publisher of the Daily Mail said it would cut its holding in Euromoney Institutional Investor to about 49% from about 67% to improve its investment portfolio and lower its debt. 

Daily Mail and General Trust said it intends to sell about 32 million shares in Euromoney, publisher of the Euromoney magazine, through a secondary placing and a buyback of shares.

Image source, Getty Images

The euro has had a bad day after the European Central Bank's decision to extend its bond-buying programme. 

The currency is down 1% against sterling and almost 1.3% lower compared with the dollar.

Times leisure correspondent Dominic Walsh tweets:

Image source, Getty Images

No great surprise that Charles Rolls, the co-founder of premium mixers maker Fever-Tree, has welcomed soaring sales of gin:

Chris Johnston
Business reporter

Image source, Jenny Downing

Not that we needed further evidence 2016 has been a hell of a year, but the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, external has gone and done just that.

Yes, sales of gin - that tear-inducing spirit - have broken the £1bn barrier for the first time. The association says 283,000 hectolitres of gin - the equivalent of 40 million bottles or enough to make 1.12bn G&Ts - have been sold in the UK over the past 12 months.

Sales have risen more than any other spirit sold in UK pubs, bars and restaurants and are up 19% compared with 2015 to £619m, while the amount sold in shops is up 13% to £437m. 

Chief executive Miles Beale said: "There are many reasons why people may not feel like celebrating 2016 but the WSTA are pleased to give you something happy to reflect on - 2016 can now be remembered as the 'Great British Gin Take Off'." 

Kamal Ahmed
Economics editor

Image source, PA

McDonald's decision to move its tax base to the UK will have multiple factors.

The tax investigation it is facing in Luxembourg and the general worldwide crackdown on the movement of profits between different tax jurisdictions to minimise payments are likely to have been two.

A third is the fact that McDonald's already has a significant business in the UK.

But, taking a step back from the specific decision that is dissected by my colleague Simon Jack, there is also a broader trend starting to take shape.

The McDonald's announcement - which may not actually mean much in job terms - is part of a wider bet on the shape of the UK economy after the departure from the EU

Read Kamal's blog in full.

The FTSE 100 closed up 0.42% to 6,931.55 points, led by a 4.6% rise for WPP after shares in the advertising giant were upgraded to a 'buy' by broker Jefferies. The stand-out faller was Capita, sinking 13.9% after the outsourcing group issued a profit warning.

The main markets in Paris and Frankfurt finished 0.87% and 1.75% ahead.

For the record, here's what Theresa May's official spokeswoman says about the McDonald's move to the UK. "We welcome continued investment from companies around the world into the UK, particularly where that's securing growth and increasing jobs."