LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Higher Call on Covid-19 Vaccine Optimism

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London are seen opening higher on Monday as investors were ...

Alliance News 23 November, 2020 | 6:59AM
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(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London are seen opening higher on Monday as investors were hopeful a coronavirus vaccine could begin to be rolled out in the coming weeks.

IG futures indicate the FTSE 100 index is to open 41.55 points higher at 6,369.00. The blue-chip index closed up 17.10 points, or 0.3%, at 6,351.45 Friday.

The US hopes to begin coronavirus vaccinations in early December, a top government health official said Sunday, the latest positive news to emerge even as cases surge across the worst-hit nation and elsewhere around the globe.

The beginning of vaccinations could be a crucial shift in the battle against a virus that has claimed more than 1.4 million lives worldwide, including 255,000 just in the US, since emerging from China late last year.

Encouraging results from vaccine trials have bolstered hopes for an end to the pandemic, as nations reimpose restrictions and lockdowns that slowed the spread earlier this year but turned lives and economies upside down across the globe.

Two leading vaccine candidates - one by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech and another by US firm Moderna - have been shown to be 95% effective in trials, and Pfizer has already applied for emergency use approval from US health authorities. FDA vaccine advisors will meet December 10 to discuss approval.

In China, the Shanghai Composite is up 1.1%, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong is flat. Financial markets in Japan were closed on Monday for the workers' day holiday.

"Covid-19 vaccinations are expected to commence in December in the US and the UK on a limited scale if Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are granted early approval. The G-20 committed (mostly) to funding vaccines for equitable distribution around the world in 2021...Overall, the rosy sentiment, is being driven by vaccine optimism," said Oanda Market analyst Jeffery Halley.

The pound was quoted at USD1.3323 early Monday, up from USD1.3284 at the London equities close Friday.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to set out the basis of plans for the festive period on Monday, as well as detailing a new tougher three-tier system for England when its national lockdown ends on December 2.

Cabinet office minister Michael Gove met with leaders of the devolved administrations over the weekend when they "endorsed a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days".

But the public will be "advised to remain cautious" and told that "wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact", a statement from his department said.

In the US on Friday, Wall Street ended lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.8%, S&P 500 down 0.7%, and Nasdaq Composite down 0.4%.

The euro was priced at USD1.1875, up from USD1.1861. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JPY103.75, lower from JPY103.82 late Friday.

Brent oil was trading at USD45.36 a barrel Monday morning, sharply higher from USD44.00 late Friday. Gold was quoted at USD1,875.11 an ounce, flat from USD1,874.10.

The economic events calendar on Monday has PMI readings from France, Germany, the eurozone, UK and US at 0815 GMT, 0830 GMT, 0900 GMT, 0930 GMT and 1445 GMT respectively.

The UK corporate calendar on Monday has annual results from newspaper publisher Daily Mail & General Trust and interim results from desserts retailer Cake Box.

Ahead in the economic calendar this week, the UK government's spending review and release of the latest meeting minutes from the US Federal Reserve are on Wednesday.

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

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