(Boursier.com) – Wall Street is expected to rise on Thursday, DJIA and S&P 500 taking around 0.2%, against a 0.1% rise in the Nasdaq. Two days before the New Year, therefore, optimism still prevails, despite the extremely rapid spread of the new Omicron variant. Last night, Dow Jones and S&P had set closing records. The three main US indices should experience their third consecutive year of growth, with budgetary plans and especially accommodating monetary policies. The S&P 500 is currently gaining 27.6% since the start of 2021, the Dow Jones 19.2% and the Nasdaq Composite 22.3%. The markets are playing the scenario of an economic recovery in 2022, insensitive to health risks or to the expected slight tightening of the monetary policy of the Fed, which has just started its ‘tapering’.
A barrel of WTI crude has eased 0.2% to $ 76.4 today. Brent posted a comparable decline to $ 79. The ounce of gold traded down 0.1% to $ 1,803. The dollar index takes 0.1% against a basket of currencies. Bitcoin rallies 1% to $ 47,364 … Asian markets ended in scattered order, with a gain of 0.62% on the SSE and a decline of 0.4% for the Nikkei. European markets for their part appear slightly in the green on Thursday.
On the economic front, South Korean industrial production in November posted growth above expectations (+ 5.1% compared to the previous month). The Spanish consumer price flash index posted an increase of 6.7% year-on-year and European harmonized data in December, against 5.6% consensus. This is the highest Spanish inflation in almost 30 years. In harmonized data, it appreciated by 1.2% in December compared to the previous month, against 0.4% consensus.
US weekly jobless claims for the week ended December 25 stood at 198,000, against a market consensus of 203,000 and a revised level of 206,000 for the previous week.
The Chicago Manufacturing PMI will be announced at 3:45 p.m. (consensus 62).
Markets remain tuned in to news of the health crisis and the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant, with a world record of infections. The data still suggests a virus that is less virulent than the Delta, causing fewer hospitalizations and fewer deaths. The WHO, however, is alarmed by a “tsunami of cases”, which could overwhelm health systems.
The New York Stock Exchange ended broadly higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices even setting new records, while the Nasdaq retreated very slightly, against a backdrop of soaring number of coronavirus cases worldwide and tensions on interest rates. At the close, the Dow jones advanced 0.25% to 36,488 points, erasing its previous record of 36,432 pts recorded on November 8. The large index S&P 500 on Wednesday posted its 70th record in 2021, ending up 0.14% to 4,793 pts, while the Nasdaq Composite, rich in technological and biotech stocks, fell 0.1% to 15,766 pts, the big “techs” struggling to cope with the tension observed on interest rates.
Investors have continued to observe the spread of the Omicron variant around the world, but still expect a wave with less serious health and economic effects than previous waves. Cases of Covid-19 infection around the world have reached a record high over the past seven days, according to data from ‘Reuters’ revealed today. Almost 900,000 cases per day on average were reported worldwide between December 22 and 28. Globally, the WHO expressed concern on Wednesday about a “tsunami of cases” caused by the simultaneous circulation of the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus.
In the United States as elsewhere, the number of cases continues to skyrocket, but has not yet resulted in a sharp increase in hospitalizations. The average of new cases detected over 7 days rose to a record 267,305 on Tuesday across the Atlantic, against 243,099 on Monday and has more than doubled (+ 126%) for 15 days, according to accounts kept by the ‘New York Times’. The number of hospitalizations increased in smaller proportions (+ 11% in 15 days) to reach 74,962, a little more than half of its peak since the start of the pandemic (137,516 in January 2021).
The World Health Organization has warned, in the midst of a surge in global infections with Omicron, that new coronavirus variants could emerge during the pandemic that would render current vaccines useless. “It is possible that new variants will escape our countermeasures and become completely resistant to current vaccines or past infections, requiring vaccine adaptations,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Reactionary political movements have fostered vaccine inequity and “created the ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants,” he said, quoted in particular by CNBC.
The WHO leader is therefore sounding the alarm as Covid cases have reached record levels in many countries, including the United States. He reiterated his frequent calls for nations to work together to improve global supplies and access to Covid vaccines and other essential health equipment. He also criticized the “populism” and “short-term nationalism” of some political leaders who he said have “undermined fairness and created the ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants”.
“Bad information and misinformation, often spread by a small number of people, has been a constant distraction that undermines science and confidence in vital health tools,” said the WHO leader. He noted that “in the huge waves of cases now seen in Europe and in many countries around the world, the misinformation that has led to vaccine reluctance is now translating into disproportionate deaths of the unvaccinated.”
Covid vaccines such as that from Pfizer and BioNTech are still effective in preventing serious illnesses caused by Omicron, experts say, but are much less effective in preventing infection. Booster shots, on the other hand, greatly increase protection against symptomatic illnesses.
If a vaccine-resistant strain of the virus emerges, manufacturers will have to adjust their shots, which “could potentially mean another shortage of supplies,” the WHO boss warned yesterday. It is important for countries to strengthen their local vaccine supply before this happens, he said.
“This virus will continue to evolve and threaten our health system if we do not improve the collective response,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “I am very concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as the Delta, leads to a tsunami of cases“.
The vaccine supply is improving now, he said, while reiterating his criticism that recall programs in rich countries make it more difficult for poor countries to obtain vaccines. This growing inequity could prolong the pandemic. Despite the persistent threat to public health and the possibility of future challenges, however, he indicates his optimism that the acute phase of the pandemic may end in 2022 …
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Biogen falls before market on Wall Street, after a jump of 9.4% Wednesday on rumors of an interest of the South Korean group Samsung for the American “biotech” based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A key Samsung Group official told MK Health that the Korea Economic Daily report that the Samsung Group may acquire Biogen was not true. The official told MK Health that the Samsung group could not confirm whether talks between the two parties had been conducted. Samsung Biologics also communicated, specifying that the KED report was inaccurate.
The Korea Economic Daily, citing sources within investment banks, said Samsung was in negotiations for a purchase that would value Biogen at more than 50 trillion won, or about $ 42 billion. It would have been the largest acquisition ever made by the South Korean conglomerate.
Walmart and Sam’s Club are ready to receive and distribute the FDA-cleared Covid-19 antiviral drugs, Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, this week, while supplies last. Drugs Pfizer and Merck will only be available at select Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in a limited number of states until more supply becomes available.
Medicines are also only available with a prescription from a health care provider. An electronic prescription can be used. Since Covid-19 antiviral drugs are prescribed for people with the virus, they will only be available at Walmart and Sam’s Club by curbside pickup or through drugstore windows.
Walmart worked closely with the federal government and state health departments to select locations where states determined treatment was needed most. Although the initial drug supply is limited, Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies are ready to help expand access to treatment nationwide.
Johnson & johnson. J & J’s Covid-19 vaccine has demonstrated, according to the American pharmaceutical and medical group, an 85% effectiveness against hospitalization in South Africa when Omicron was dominant. A separate analysis showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster generated a 41-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies and a 5-fold increase in T cells against Omicron. The first study, conducted by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), showed that the Johnson & Johnson booster reduced the risk of hospitalization among healthcare workers in South Africa, after Omicron became the dominant variant .
A second separate analysis of the immune response to different vaccine regimens, conducted by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), demonstrated that a heterologous (different vaccine) booster of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in people who initially had received BNT162b2 The mRNA vaccine generated a 41-fold increase in neutralizing antibody responses and a 5-fold increase in CD8 + T lymphocytes against Omicron four weeks after the booster.
Intel. South Korean firm SK Hynix has completed the first phase of its acquisition of Intel’s NAND flash memory chip business, after receiving regulatory approvals from eight countries, including China. SK Hynix will shell out $ 7 billion of the deal’s total $ 9 billion price tag, the world’s number two memory chip maker said Thursday. The deal, signed in 2020, will allow Intel to focus on its smaller but more lucrative Optane memory business. For SK Hynix, this is the biggest acquisition ever. An SK Hynix subsidiary called Solidigm, headquartered in San Jose, California, will manage the recently acquired NAND SSD business.
The second phase of the deal is expected to close in or after March 2025, with payment of the remaining $ 2 billion, and will include SK Hynix’s acquisition of Intel’s remaining assets in the NAND business, including ownership intellectual and manpower.
You’re here Recalls more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and S cars to address backup camera and trunk issues that would increase the risk of an accident, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a federal safety agency road. Elon Musk’s group is recalling 356,309 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles for reversing camera issues and 119,009 Model S vehicles due to front hood issues, Reuters said.
Micron Technology said the current lockdown in the Chinese city of Xi’an could result in delays in DRAM memory deliveries.