Stock futures fall broadly as trading starts after Covid

358
1
Stock futures fall broadly as trading starts after Covid

The U.S. stock futures declined broadly, extending a period of volatile trading since the detection of the Omicron variant of Covid - 19.

Futures on the S&P 500 were down 0.9% and futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.1%. Changes in the futures don't necessarily predict moves after the opening bell.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 lost 1% in morning trade dragged down by declines in consumer and healthcare sectors.

The U.K. FTSE 100 was down 1%. Other stock indexes in Europe fell as France's CAC 40 fell 1.2%, the U.K. s FTSE 250 fell 0.7% and Germany's DAX fell 1%.

The Swiss franc and the euro improved by 0.2% and 0.4% against the U.S. dollar and British pound, with 1 pound buying $1.33.

The international benchmark for Brent crude fell 2.1% to $71.70 a barrel. Gold was up 0.5% to $1,791. 90 a troy ounce.

The German 10 year bund yield fell to 0.327% and 10 year U.K. government debt fell to 0.826%. The yield on the 10 year U.S. Treasury fell to 1.460% from 1.529%. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

The stock market in Asia was mixed as China's benchmark Shanghai Composite was largely flat, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.9% and Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.6% after gaining 1.4% during the session.