People do their Christmas shopping before the Dutch government's expected announcement of a "strict" Christmas lockdown to curb the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, in the city centre of Nijmegen, Netherlands December 18, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Dec 20 – A look at the day ahead from Danilo Masoni.
With the big central bank decisions out of the way, investors can now entirely focus on COVID-19 developments. And what they’re seeing isn’t looking good.
The Dutch are in a lockdown, Europeans face new restrictions, and officials are urging Americans to get booster shots — developments that are dashing hopes the end of the pandemic could be closer.
And as Omicron tightens its grip on Christmas, so is risk-off sentiment. Futures point to European shares falling 2%, oil lost more than $2 a barrel in Asian trading, and safe-havens like gold and the Japanese yen are seeing good demand.
The fear is that hospitalisations and deaths from Omicron could still put national health systems under pressure, given the rapid speed at which it spreads even though symptoms are mild.
Add to that last week’s hawkish pivot by the Federal Reserve, fresh hurdles facing U.S. President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion investment bill, then worries over growth and confidence look well placed. Indeed, Goldman Sachs was quick off the blocks to trim U.S. growth forecasts for most of next year.
Elsewhere, China cut its lending benchmark rate for the first time in 20 months to prop up its slowing economy, sending the yuan to a 10-day low.
Key developments that should provide more direction to markets on Monday:
Reporting by Danilo Masoni; Editing by Saikat Chatterjee
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
This article was originally published by Reuters.
Ghada Ashour, who grew up in Gaza, becomes fifth scholar selected for FIA’s flagship scholarship initiative Dubai, UAE, 8th December, 2025: The FIA’s United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) Campaign has welcomed Ghada Ashour, a 24-year-old student from Palestine, to its flagship scholarship programme, created to empower the next generation of researchers in the fight against online abuse in sport. Ghada grew up in Gaza where she has been studying remotely until gaining her place on the UAOA scholarship, which brought her to Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland. Becoming the fifth scholar to join the scholarship, she was selected based on her interests in social media, and her strong passion for advancing insights in this area for the benefit of everyone participating in sport. Launched in 2023, the programme offers talented students and young professionals from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research on the impact, prevalence, and prevention of online abuse in sport with a focus on developing practical solutions. Funded by the FIA Foundation, the UAOA scholars have been selected to undertake invaluable research at DCU based on their project proposals, dedication to achieving positive social change, and their unique perspectives approaching this issue. Ghada’s thesis, which will be printed in English and translated into Arabic, will focus specifically on the …
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