Morning wrap (05.01.2021)

• US indices finished yesterday's trading significantly lower. S&P 500 dropped 1.48%, Nasdaq declined 1.47% and Dow Jones finished 1.25% lower.

• Mixed moods could be spotted during the Asian session. Nikkei dropped 0.4%, S&P/ASX 200 traded flat while Kospi and Chinese indices gained

• DAX futures point to a slightly lower opening of the European session

• Prime Minister Johnson announced a UK lockdown that will last until mid-February. German Chancellor Merkel will discuss extension of lockdown measures with state leaders today. Japan will make decision on state of emergency on Thursday

• No decision on production limits was made during yesterday's OPEC+ video call. Talks are set to resume today

• US Treasury will allow US banks to use blockchain technology and stablecoins for settlements

• Joe Biden said that if Democrats win Senate race in Georgia, hurdles towards $2,000 stimulus checks will be removed

• NYSE said it no longer plans to delist 3 major Chinese telecoms (China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom)

• Precious metals trade mixed - gold and platinum drop while silver and palladium gain

• Bitcoin trades near $30,500 mark

• NZD and AUD are top performing major currencies while USD and CHF lag the most

535 thousand new coronavirus cases were reported yesterday. Source: worldometers, XTB