ASX to slip, but investors eye cheery Christmas as Santa rally expands

The long rally that sent Wall Street to its 57th record of the year is unlikely to stop, investors say, expecting the optimism that has sent the Australian sharemarket to its own highs to continue well into next year.

That optimism will be tempered on Monday with futures indicating that the S&P/ASX 200 Index will slip 0.3 per cent or 25 points at the start of trade. But that comes after a fourth record close in less than two weeks when it finished last Tuesday at 8495 points.