The Paris Bourse is moving around its closing level the day before, while Wall Street continues its race to new heights. The surprise contraction in jobless claims in the United States indeed reinforces other reassuring indicators for the American economy. According to the Labor Department, initial claims for allowances fell from 8,000 to 198,000 for the week to Dec. 24, where the Bloomberg consensus expected 206,000. The activity is nonetheless limited in this penultimate meeting of the year, with barely 900 million euros traded on Cac 40 stocks.
Investors continue to hope that governments will refrain from imposing strict restriction or containment measures in the face of the explosion of Omicron variant contaminations. They also note that many countries are trying to limit the economic impact of the pandemic by relaxing the isolation rules for infected people or simple cases of contact.
At 4.30 p.m. on Cac 40 was stable at 7,166.83 points (+ 0.07%). In Frankfurt, the Dax ended its last, shortened session of 2021 up 0.21%. It gained 15.8% over the year. In New York, the Dow jones takes 0.23%, the S&P 500 0.29% and the Nasdaq Composite 0.57%. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 posted its 70e record at the end of the year.
Omicron less dangerous than Delta
Among the main changes of the day is the 0.9% increase inEurofins Scientific and that, of the same magnitude, of Teleperformance, which sets a new record. Excluding Cac 40, Elior 3.2% advance. Alphavalue reiterated its recommendation to “buy” on the title of the collective catering group to aim for 7.46 euros
The markets continued their rally at the end of the year, reinforced by information indicating that Omicron was less dangerous than the Delta variant, which it is in the process of supplanting. According to a South African study published Thursday, a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is 84% effective in preventing hospitalizations among health workers in the country contaminated by Omicron. Anthony Fauci, the main medical adviser to the White House, meanwhile said on Wednesday that the outbreak of contaminations in the United States should have reached its peak at the end of January. ” Lower severity of Omicron infections and shorter isolation period recommended by CDC [Centres pour le contrôle et la prévention des maladies] are in line with our forecast for a gradual easing of tensions on supply chains in early 2022 Citigroup strategist Scott Chronert said in a note cited by Reuters.