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© Reuters. Passers-by in protective masks are reflected on a stock listing board outside a brokerage, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo
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By Huw Jones
LONDON (Reuters) – European stocks were up on Friday morning, ending the last full week of trading of the year with investors still nervous about a Brexit trade deal and a US stimulus package.
London shares rose bit by bit, driven by a weaker dollar. Frankfurt barely won and Paris slipped.
“Uncertainty about what is to come in the next few days keeps investors a bit nervous as we have two factors that are likely to be resolved in the next few days: the EU-UK deal and the US stimulus plan. USA, “said Michael Hewson, Chief Marketing Officer. CMC Markets analyst.
Dutch healthcare technology firm Philips rose 2% after it agreed to buy American cardiac monitoring and diagnostics firm BioTelemetry (NASDAQ 🙂 in a deal worth $ 2.8 billion.
A more pessimistic tone in Britain’s lengthy talks with the European Union weakened the pound, with only days left before the UK exits the bloc’s single market on December 31.
The EU warned there were only hours left to reach a deal, which would undermine UK midcaps focused on the domestic market as the prospect of trade tariffs loomed in the New Year.
“The talks between the EU and the UK could go all the way, as neither side wants it to be seen to give in too easily. This is from both sides, so it might take a little longer. time than most people are comfortable with. “Hewson said.
The British pound fell 0.29% to $ 1.3546, below the two-and-a-half-year high it hit on Thursday.
Among economic data for the day, British retail sales fell 3.8% during the month of November, when a four-week shutdown in England closed stores selling non-essential products to the public.
A separate gauge of UK consumer confidence rose the most in eight years this month, driven by the country’s coronavirus vaccination program.
WALL STREET RECORDS TUMBLE
The prevailing underlying mood in global equities remained upbeat. All three major U.S. stock indices – the Dow, Nasdaq and Nasdaq – finished at all-time highs Thursday on optimism about a coronavirus stimulus bill.
America was flat.
Markets were also encouraged by the fact that the United States was ready to ship 5.9 million doses of a new coronavirus vaccine developed by Modern (NASDAQ 🙂 which is close to obtaining regulatory approval.
“Even though the current state of the outbreak is so bleak, markets are assuming that vaccines will help the US achieve herd immunity next year and that everyone will be dancing in the spring, with a pent-up demand for consumption that will skyrocket, “said Kozo Koide, chief economist at Asset Management One.
Asian stocks fell on Friday after Reuters reported that the United States will add dozens of Chinese companies, including the country’s top chipmaker SMIC, to a trade blacklist later in the day.
MSCI’s broader Asia-Pacific equity index outside of Japan fell 0.4% from Thursday’s record high. Mainland China’s shares fell 0.35%, while Hong Kong’s lost 0.67%.
fell 0.2%, facing stiff resistance around 27,000.
He stood at 89.91, having dropped below 90 for the first time in two and a half years.
The euro was trading at $ 1.2260, after hitting a two-and-a-half-year high of $ 1.2273 on Thursday.
It rose 1.9% to $ 23,256 after breaking through $ 20,000 on Wednesday, sparking a new wave of buying.
it fell to $ 1,879.6 per ounce from a month-long high of $ 1,896.2 the day before. it reached its highest levels in almost eight years.
Oil rose to a nine-month high before declining in Asia on Friday. futures are trading at $ 51.34 a barrel, down 0.3% on the day, but not far from Thursday’s peak of $ 51.90, having gained 2.7% so far this week .
(Edited by)
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