Markets Overview
- ASX SPI 200 futures up 0.5% to 7,304.00
- Dow Average up 0.5% to 35,679.62
- Aussie up 0.8% to 0.7213 per US$
- U.S. 10-year yield little changed at 1.4566%
- Australia 3-year bond yield fell 8bps to 0.85%
- Australia 10-year bond yield fell 2bps to 1.58%
- Gold spot up 0.8% to $1,803.60
- Brent futures up 2.0% to $75.45/bbl
Economic Events
Stocks rose as data signaled economic strength, with traders assessing the latest developments on the omicron coronavirus variant.
The S&P 500 climbed for a second day, the dollar fell and bondsfluctuated. Pfizer Inc. advanced as its Covid-19 pill gained clearancefor emergency use in the U.S. Amazon.com Inc. rebounded from session lows, following a drop of over 1% after Bloomberg News reported the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is pushing forward with antitrust scrutiny of the company’s cloud computing business.
Sales of previously owned U.S. homes increased for a third consecutive month in November, while consumer confidence climbed in December by more than expected as Americans’ outlook for employment and the economy improved. Infection with omicron may be far less likely to land patients in the hospital than cases involving the delta strain, according to early study data out of Scotland and South Africa.
Other News
Madagascar’s secretary of state for police swam 12 hours to shore after ejecting from a helicopter that crashed off the Indian Ocean island nation’s coast, Agence France-Presse reported.
The 57-year-old Serge Gelle used one of the chopper’s seats as a flotation device to get back to land, the news agency said, citing police and port authorities. A fellow policeman also survived the crash, which occurred while they were flying to inspect a shipwreck, AFP said.
A video posted by Madagascar’s defense ministry showed Gelle recovering on a deck chair, still wearing his camouflage uniform.
