(Boursier.com) – Wall Street rose in pre-session on Monday, with the DJIA gaining 0.2% and the S&P 500 0.3%, against a gain of 0.4% on the Nasdaq. A barrel of WTI crude drops 0.8% to $ 73.2 on the Nymex. The ounce of gold fell 0.2% to $ 1,807. The dollar index agrees 0.2% against a basket of currencies. Bitcoin takes 2.7% of the $ 51,000.
In US economic news on Monday, the Dallas Fed’s manufacturing index for the month of December will be released at 4:30 p.m. (consensus 9.5).
Tomorrow Tuesday, traders will track the S&P Case-Shiller and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) house price indices for October, as well as the Richmond Fed manufacturing index for December.
Wednesday will be marked by the international goods trade balance, home sales promises, the State Street Investor Confidence Index and the Department of Energy’s weekly report on domestic oil stocks.
On Thursday, investors will be able to follow the weekly jobless claims and the Chicago PMI index.
New Covid-19 infections topped 197,000 in the United States on Christmas Eve and increased 65% in the past fortnight, although hospitalizations only increased 10% in comparison and remain well below previous waves, notes the New York Times. These figures support the thesis of an Omicron variant which is certainly extremely contagious, but less virulent than its sad predecessors.
A preliminary British study showed that people infected with the Omicron variant were 50 to 70% less likely to end up in hospital compared to the Delta, says CNBC. However, health officials warn of false hope as Omicron appears to be milder, but a very high volume of infections, a U.S. vaccination rate of just 62% and shortages. of staff could still see hospitals overwhelmed. This dynamic is playing out in the United Kingdom, where hospitalizations in London have increased by 92% compared to the previous week. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will decide on Monday whether to tighten restrictions in time for New Years Eve, but he could choose to rely on guidance rather than new laws, reports The Times. Several countries in Europe have implemented social distancing restrictions, but many have so far resisted economically destructive lockdowns.
In the USA, Dr Anthony Fauci warned against the very large volume of new infections, and despite the apparently mild symptoms of the new variant. He suggests that the wave of infections will increase, before an appeasement in 2022. In the meantime, he warns of the risk of “complacency” in the face of the new variant.
US pauses on Regeneron and Eli Lilly treatments deemed ineffective against Omicron.
US airlines yesterday canceled about a thousand flights for the third day in a row. Airlines on Sunday canceled more than 1,000 domestic and international flights, more than Christmas Day, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware.com. The spread of the Omicron variant is shaking up vacation travel plans as isolation requirements force more pilots and crew to self-quarantine. According to FlightAware, the string of days of massive cancellations has therefore continued.
Airline industry groups have called on the CDC to reduce the isolation time for infected vaccinated workers to five instead of 10 days after returning from a negative test. Last week, the CDC recommended reducing that isolation time to five days for some healthcare workers and faces pressure to adjust guidelines more broadly, as industries face staff shortages due to growing infections that are forcing more people into isolation. The availability of rapid antigenic tests and treatments strengthens the case for a shorter isolation period.
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American Airlines, Delta Air, United airlines Where Southwest are therefore to be followed in this context. In the same spirit, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and other cruise giants could suffer, as at least three boats were forced to turn around this weekend following Covid-19 infections among passengers.
FactSet, a global provider of integrated financial information and analytical applications, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CUSIP Global Services (CGS) from S&P Global for $ 1.925 billion in cash. FactSet also expects to receive an estimated tax benefit of around $ 200 million as part of the transaction. The acquisition will significantly expand FactSet’s critical role in global financial markets, advancing its open data strategy.
Pfizer remains under surveillance. South Korea has just urgently approved the antiviral treatment against covid from the American laboratory, already validated a few days ago by the FDA.
Merck. A Japanese health ministry commission recommended approving the American’s Covid-19 antiviral pill, also recently accepted by the US Food & Drug Administration.
Baidu. The Chinese internet giant’s joint venture with automaker Geely is said to begin mass production of its first robot electric vehicles as early as 2023.
GoDaddy soaring on Wall Street, as activist investor Starboard Value acquired a 6.5% stake in the Internet service provider for close to $ 800 million. Starboard considers GoDaddy stock to be undervalued, and sees it as an attractive investment opportunity. According to the Wall Street Journal, Starboard plans to push the company to improve its performance. Arizona-based GoDaddy has seen a surge in online traffic as many businesses have turned to digital operations due to the pandemic.
Microsoft will not physically participate in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, swelling the list of firms preferring not to make the trip due to the pandemic. Amazon, Twitter, Pinterest Where Meta also passed their turns.
Apple. The Dutch competition agency ruled that the Cupertino group had violated antitrust rules, and ordered it to change the payment policies of the App Store.