[ad_1]
BEIJING (AP) – Global stocks were mixed in quiet trading Friday, with many markets around the world closing early or closing in connection with Christmas.
Shares declined in Paris and Tokyo, rose slightly higher in Seoul and Hong Kong and were virtually unchanged in London. Financial markets took a day off in the United States, Germany and many other countries as another strong year for equities approaches.
A day earlier, Wall Street’s S&P 500 index rose 0.6% to set a record as investor fears faded about how hard the omicron variant will hit the economy. Authorities have said the coronavirus variant could cause less serious illness, and President Joe Biden called for more vaccinations and testing, but announced no plans for travel restrictions.
Omicron looks like a “short-term disruption” rather than a “destructive headwind that is knocking the economy off course,” Oanda’s Edward Moya said in a report. “The economic recovery in the US in 2022 still looks very strong.”
Of course, there is still a lot of uncertainty about ommicron, which seems to be spreading at lightning speed. Several major airlines canceled dozens of flights on Friday because many of their employees called in sick.
In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.1%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 0.1% and Seoul’s Kospi 0.5%. Shares in Shanghai fell 0.7%.
In Europe, the CAC 40 in France fell 0.3% and the FTSE 100 in London fell less than 0.1%.
The wave of ommicron cases has weighed on investors as they attempt to measure the impact on corporate earnings in 2022. Governments in Asia and Europe have tightened travel controls or rolled back plans to ease curbs already in place.
In the United States, inflation is meanwhile at a peak of almost four decades. That has prompted the Federal Reserve to accelerate the withdrawal of economic stimulus that has pushed stock prices up.
In the energy markets, the price of Brent crude oil rose by 71 cents to $ 76.14.
|
Sources 2/ https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Asian-stock-markets-follow-Wall-St-up-as-omicron-16726927.php The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]