Dec 8 - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of markets brought to you by Reuters reporters. You can share your thoughts with us at markets.research@thomsonreuters.com EUROPE READY TO TAKE A BREATHER (0728 GMT) European equities seem to be ready to pause for breath after yesterday’s substantial gains when investors cheered signs that Omicron can be less dangerous than first feared. Markets are wary that volatility will remain the winner until there isn’t a clear view about the new coronavirus variant"s capacity to evade vaccines and transmit. The focus is now slowly shifting to U.S. inflation data due on Friday, which might give the Federal Reserve more reasons to speed up its monetary tightening. While European stock futures are lower, its U.S. peers are in positive territory, with the Nasdaq ready to provide support to tech stocks. (Stefano Rebaudo) ***** Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.