US sharemarkets were weaker in a volatile session on Wednesday, driven by news of the first case of Omicron to be found in the US (California). The Cboe volatility gauge (Vix) rose 11% to 9-month highs. Shares in Merck fell 0.6% despite positive regulatory news on its pill to treat Covid-19. At the close of trade the Dow Jones index was lower by 462 points or 1.3% after being up 521 points earlier in the session. The S&P 500 index fell by 1.2%. The Nasdaq index fell by 284 points or...
US sharemarkets were weaker in a volatile session on Wednesday, driven by news of the first case of Omicron to be found in the US (California). The Cboe volatility gauge (Vix) rose 11% to 9-month highs. Shares in Merck fell 0.6% despite positive regulatory news on its pill to treat Covid-19. At the close of trade the Dow Jones index was lower by 462 points or 1.3% after being up 521 points earlier in the session. The S&P 500 index fell by 1.2%. The Nasdaq index fell by 284 points or 1.8%.
European sharemarkets posted the strongest sessions in around six months on Wednesday. Autos rose by 3.8% and travel & leisure rose by 3.1%. Materials rose 2.3% and energy rose 2.1%. Restraining sentiment was data showing factory price inflation at the fastest rate in 19 years. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose by 1.7%. The German Dax index rose by 2.5%. And the UK FTSE index lifted by 1.6%. In London trade, shares in Rio Tinto rose by 1.7%; BHP shares rose 0.4%.
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