by Blandine Henault
PARIS (Reuters) – The main European stock markets are expected in dispersed order and on small variations at the opening on Tuesday, despite the progress observed on Wall Street and in Asia, questions persist as to the impact of the spread of the Omicron variant.
Futures contracts report an increase of 0.14% for the Parisian CAC 40 but a decline of 0.04% for the Dax in Frankfurt and a decline of 0.11% for the EuroStoxx 50.
For its part, the London Stock Exchange will remain closed for “Boxing Day”.
On Monday, optimism prevailed in equity markets in reduced trading volumes, as investors globally felt that the novel Omicron variant of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 is unlikely to lead to severe health restrictions likely to question the economic recovery.
In France, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Monday evening a series of new health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, while excluding a new curfew.
In the UK, the UK government does not plan to impose new COVID-19 restrictions until the end of 2021, Health Minister Sajid Javid said.
A WALL STREET
The New York Stock Exchange finished higher on Monday, supported by encouraging consumer data that helped allay concerns about the economic impact of the Omicron variant.
The Dow Jones index gained 0.98% to 36,302.38 points. The S & P-500 gained 1.38% to end with a record 4,791.19 points. For its part, the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.39% to 15,871.26 points.
According to a report published on Sunday, retail sales rose 8.5% between November 1 and December 24 in the United States, which helped boost the distribution sector (+ 0.25%).
On the other hand, the sectorial index of airlines (-0.57%) suffered from the thousands of flight cancellations announced in recent days due to the Omicron variant and cruise operators have also been neglected.
IN ASIA
In the wake of Wall Street, the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended up 1.37%, the highest since November 25, also supported by the announcement of a 7.2% jump in manufacturing output in November in Japan thanks to an upturn in automobile production.
In mainland China, the stock markets were buoyed by the rise in the values of new energies and non-ferrous metals even though the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country weighed on the trend.
The large-cap CSI 300 gained 0.74%.
In Hong Kong, closed the day before, the Hang Seng index is virtually unchanged.
CHANGES / RATES
The dollar does not change much against a basket of benchmark currencies, including the euro, which is stable, at 1.132.
A sign of renewed appetite for risk, the yen fell to a one-month low against the greenback.
On the bond market, the yield on ten-year Treasuries was virtually unchanged at 1.4722%, as was its German equivalent stable at -0.238% in early trading.
OIL
Crude oil prices continued their progression from the previous day, driven by the ambient optimism about a relatively limited impact on oil demand for the Omicron variant.
The barrel of Brent gained 0.05% to 78.64 dollars and that of US light crude (WTI) rose 0.19% to 75.71 dollars.
NO MAJOR ECONOMIC INDICATOR ON TODAY’S AGENDA
(edited by Marc Angrand)
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