Markets in the U.K. and Ireland and closed for the new year holiday
Asian stocks were mixed in thin trading on Monday as concerns over the Omicron variant continue to persist, capping gains in regional markets. The global number of cases topped 290 million as of January 3. Shares of China Evergrande Group were suspended in Hong Kong. On the positive side, South Korean shares added more than 1% due to upbeat exports data. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng was 0.53% lower.
In Europe, stocks jumped on the first trading day of the year. Germany’s DAX 30 was up 0.86% while France’s CAC 40 climbed more than 1% in early deals. Markets in the U.K. and Ireland and closed for the new year holiday. In individual stocks, German airline Lufthansa jumped more than 6% after Citigroup upgraded the stock rating to “buy” from “sell.” US stock index futures are up between 0.30% and 0.50%.
In currencies, the dollar holds relatively steady at the start of the year, with EURUSD treading water in the 1.1350 area, turning negative on the day after a rally witnessed on Friday. The USD index slipped below the 96.00 figure to settle around 95.80, down 0.19% on the day.
In other markets, the bitcoin price continues to trade in a tight range below the $50,000 figure, struggling to regain the 200- and 20-DMAs. The BTCUSD pair was last seen changing hands around $47,200, unchanged on the day it looks like the digital currency will stay pressured by the key moving averages in the near term before deciding on the further direction.
