US
President Donald Trump threatened to not sign the $892 billion coronavirus relief bill, saying it should be amended to increase the amount in the stimulus checks. Failure to either pass another stopgap bill or override a possible Trump veto of the legislation could result in a partial government shutdown.
US equities closed mixed on Tuesday as investors weighed Monday’s stimulus vote against the emergence of a new coronavirus strain in the UK. The S&P 500 was down 0.2%, Dow Jones was down 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.5%.
US consumer confidence unexpectedly fell to a four-month low this month as surging COVID-19 cases and stricter lockdown measures offset a slight improvement in Americans’ long-term outlooks.
Public health experts say that Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines are likely effective against the new strain as well. Still however, the new restrictions and virus fears threaten to tamper down on the already weakened economic activity.
Oil prices also dropped with international benchmark Brent crude futures dropping to $50.17 per barrel and US crude futures declined to $47.21 per barrel.
EUROPE
European shares closed slightly higher, attempting to recover from a brutal sell-off in the previous session, despite concerns over a new coronavirus strain in the U.K.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 1.3% higher, with Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC indexes rising around 1.3% and 1.6% respectively. Britain’s FTSE 100 closed 0.5% up after an initial fall. The Euro closed at 1.217 and GBP at 1.335 against the greenback.
Britain was cut off from the rest of Europe, with flights and trains banned by about 40 countries and freight deliveries halted at French ports. However, French citizens could return to France from the UK starting Wednesday if they can show proof of a negative Covid-19 test within the previous 72 hours. Other nationals who live in France or the European Union will also be able to enter France from the UK with a negative test result.
Moving onto Brexit, the EU has rejected the latest UK offer on fishing but is ready to pursue a post-Brexit trade deal to the end of the year or even beyond into next year.
JAPAN
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 declined 1.04% to close at 26,436.39 while the Topix index fell 1.56% to finish its trading day at 1,761.12. The Japanese yen traded at 103.39 per dollar, after strengthening from levels above 103.6 against the greenback yesterday.
The government is considering strengthening its restrictions on entry from the U.K. following the discovery of a new strain. Currently, entry from the U.K. is banned in principle, but people on short-term business trips are allowed to enter Japan.
GOLD
Gold prices closed off near $1,860/oz, majorly due to strengthening of the US dollar. While the greenback benefited from the coronavirus aid package, sentiment remains down as Brexit talks linger and markets are worrying about the new COVID-19 strain.
SO, TO CONCLUDE ……
Just as things were getting better in the US with the stimulus bill deal, President Trump decides to bamboozle everyone. These delays could prove very costly for the American people, but settling political scores seems to be the tone now.
UK is getting deeper and deeper into trouble as the new strain has resulted in the world isolating the country with travel restrictions and bans. The Brexit deal still hangs in the balance over fishing rights, and this may well get pushed into the next year.
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