· Dow futures rise 200 points after sell-off prompted by first U.S. omicron case
U.S. stock index futures rose in early morning trading on Thursday, following a Wednesday tumble on Wall Street after the CDC confirmed the first known case of the omicron variant in the U.S.
Futures contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 211 points. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.59%, while Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.51%.
· Global stocks rally set to moderate next year, correction likely: Reuters poll
some analysts reckon that flight to safe assets and heightened volatility suggests markets may be in for a bumpier ride in the short run.
· Asia-Pacific stocks mixed as uncertainty about omicron lingers; Razer shares plunge in Hong Kong
Stocks in Asia-Pacific struggled for direction in Thursday trade, as concerns over the economic impact of the omicron Covid variant continue to weigh on investor sentiment.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.2%, reversing earlier losses. Shares of Razer in the city, however, dropped more than 8% in choppy trade. The company said a consortium has offered to take it private at 2.82 Hong Kong dollars each, about 5.62% higher than Razer’s Wednesday close.
Mainland Chinese stocks were mixed, with the Shanghai composite hovering above the flatline and the Shenzhen component slipping 0.197%.
Elsewhere, the Nikkei 225 in Japan declined 0.4% while the Topix index shed 0.3%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.2%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell slightly below the flatline. Australia’s October trade surplus came in at 11.22 billion Australian dollars (about $7.97 billion) on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to official data. That was against expectations in a Reuters poll for an 11 billion Australian dollar surplus for October.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.31% higher.
· European markets retreat as omicron Covid variant fears return; Stoxx 600 down 1.2%
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