Reuters. Amid an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Tokyo, a man wearing a protective face mask walks behind a stock quotation board outside a brokerage.
By Stanley White
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks hit record highs on Wednesday and US stock futures rose on Wednesday as investors tracked positive news on ongoing efforts to launch COVID-19 vaccines and further monetary stimulus.
MSCI’s broad index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.65%. At one point the index reached 7 647.7878, which is an all-time high.
The gauge of MSCI stocks around the world also reached record highs.
Australian shares rose 0.61%. Rose 1.27% to a 29 1/2-year high. Sentiment gained momentum after data from Japan pointed to a decline in capital spending.
South Korean stocks also traded at a record high of 1.6%. Shares in China rose 0.68% on gains.
Futures rose 0.45%, German 0.37%, and London 0.48%.
US e-mini stock futures rose 0.23% after shares on Wall Street hit a new record high on Tuesday, positive news of the vaccine and U.S. The feeling of progress has been boosted by the stimulus negotiations.
The British pound was slightly modified before making or breaking talks on a trade deal between Britain and the European Union.
Analysts at ANZ Bank said: “There is still hope that a fresh stimulus package for the United States will be agreed soon. Wrote.
“The next 24 hours will be crucial and the market is likely to be volatile depending on whether it is agreed or not.”
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.35% and rose 0.28%.
U.S. Policymakers continued to negotiate additional stimulus to help offset the economic impact of the epidemic, following a government-funded stopgap.
Leaders of both parties are adamant that a deal should be struck but they are working through issues including providing assistance to state and local governments and protecting business liability.
The continuous march of positive news on the COVID-19 vaccine has boosted investor sentiment.
Britain became the first Western nation to launch a comprehensive vaccination campaign on Tuesday, and reported to Johnson & Johnson (NYSE 🙂 that it could get late-stage trial results for a single dose of the vaccine, as expected in January.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE 🙂 when the U.S. released the alarming documents without worrying about other safety or effectiveness. Removed the second hurdle by the health regulator.
But Brexit’s “no deal” prospect weighs on the price for sterling, which finally sells at 33 1.3379 and 90.68 pence per euro.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet EU executive European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for dinner in Brussels on Wednesday, as his negotiators have been struggling for months.
The dollar was trading at 0.8080 against the basket of currencies, hovering above its eight-year low on Friday in a bid to lure short sellers of the vaccine.
Highlighting the weakness of the dollar, the Chinese yuan strengthened to the previous high of 6.5000 to reach a strong level in more than two years. It also traded at a high level over a period of more than two years.
The benchmark rose to 0.9394% on Wednesday. Some dealers say expectations for higher financial costs could push yields further into the future.
Futures were down 0.27% at .7 48.71 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate Futures inventory fell 0.24% to close at 45.49. [O/R]
Demand for safe port of the precious metal has dropped from a two-week high to 85 1,858.26 per 85 ounces as vaccine treatment begins.
