London, Thursday, 30 December 2021 -
US Markets summary
US stocks drifted lower on Thursday on a day with a light trade volume. Both the S&P and the Dow slipped 0.3% from a record high, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2% and extended the losses for the third consecutive session as cruise line stocks gave up gains after CDC said people should avoid cruise travel, while big tech also weighed in the indexes.
Also, investors continue to assess the impact the omicron variant will have on the global economy as it seems the disease is less severe than the one caused by other strains. On the corporate side, Biogen shares sank almost 8% after Samsung denied a report in The Korea Economic Daily that it was in talks to buy the drug maker.
So far in the year, the S&P 500 is up 27.2%, the Nasdaq 24%, and the Dow Jones 18.9%. Heading into 2022, investors remain optimistic as the economic recovery continues while the Fed is expected to tighten faster as the inflation remains high, supply disruptions persist and the coronavirus pandemic is far from over.
European Markets summary
Markets were cautious, as worries over the pace of the bloc's economic recovery next year rose in the face of rising interest rates and inflation. The CAC 40 remained near to a recent record high, while the FTSE 100 remained unchanged at a 22-month high. Germany, Italy, and Spain will have their stock markets closed on Friday, while Paris and London will trade for half a session before the New Year.
On the final trading day of 2021, the DAX 30 finished slightly higher at 15,885, close to Tuesday's one-month high of 15,964 and with a year-to-date gain of 15.8%. Investors were increasingly confident about the economy when COVID vaccines proved to be generally effective at preventing hospitalization in persons infected with the Omicron form, and countries across Europe avoided imposing further restrictions despite record increases in new cases.
U.S. Stock Market Indexes
S&P 500: -14.25 (-0.30%) to 4,778.81
Nasdaq: -24.65 (-0.16%) to 15,741.56
Dow Jones: -90.16 (-0.25%) to 36,398.47
European Stock Market Indexes
STOXX Europe 600: +0.73 (0.15%) at 488.71as at Dec 30, 5:50 PM GMT+1
FTSE 100 in London: −17.68 (0.24%) at 7,403.01 as at Dec 30, 4:35 PM GMT
DAX 30 in Germany: +32.61 (0.21%) at 15,884.86 as at Dec 30, 2:25 PM GMT+1
CAC 40 in France: +11.71 (0.16%) at 7,173.23 as at Dec 30, 6:05 PM GMT+1
FTSE MIB 30 in Italy: +2.58 (0.0094%) at 27,346.83 as at Dec 30, 5:35 PM GMT+1
IBEX 35 in Spain: +40.10 (0.46%) at 8,713.80 as at Dec 30, 5:38 PM GMT+1
Other markets
Ten-year U.S. Treasury note: -2.8 bps to yield 1.5150%
Dollar index: +0.06 or 0.06% at 95.99 as at Dec 30, 2021 at 5:39 p.m. EST
VIX volatility index: +0.38 (2.24%) at 17.33 as at Dec 30, 3:15 PM CST
Oil prices
Brent crude: -0.10 or -0.13% at $ 76.46 per barrel as at Dec 30, 2021 4:59 p.m. EST
West Texas Intermediate: +0.56% at $76.99 per barrel as at 17:55 pm CDT 30/12/2021
Precious metals
Gold: +10.11 or +0.56% at $ 1,814.98 an ounce
Silver: +0.22 or +0.96% at $ 23.05 an ounce
Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin: +462.90 (1.00%) at $46,934.10 as at Dec 30, 10:55 PM UTC
Ethereum: +62.69 (1.73%) at $ 3,692.88 as at Dec 30, 10:55 PM UTC
(Written and edited by: The Decision Maker)
