Dec 22 - 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: STOCKS SET TO EXTEND REBOUND (0734 GMT) European shares are set to extend yesterday"s rebound, as investors look past possible short-term damage from the highly infectious Omicron virus variant, keeping confidence in the economy"s growth potential. The region"s stock index futures are up 0.3-0.5%, adding to gains in the previous session that saw the commodity-linked and travel stocks help the STOXX score its best day in two weeks. Volumes however are starting to fade ahead of the Christmas holiday break, possibly making trading moves more erratic. Over in Asia, shares are also broadly up as the risk appetite returns heading into year-end, while U.S. index futures are easing slightly after a strong close. Credit Suisse downgraded this week equities to neutral, citing near-term risks associated with Omicron just as high inflation could lead to tighter monetary policy. Nevertheless it said stocks had upside potential over 6-month time horizon. read more (Danilo Masoni)