- US indices finished yesterday's session higher. The Dow Jones rose 0.2%, S&P 500 gained 0.1% and Nasdaq increased 0.2%.
- Mixed moods prevail in the Asian markets today. Nikkei and Kospi are both closed, Hang Seng gained 0.4%. S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.43%
- German and Italian markets are closed, while French markets are scheduled for an early close
- Australian states tighten border controls amid new virus cases in Victoria
- US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that there is no realistic path to quickly pass $2000 stimulus
- China's Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine has been approved for general use
- Queen Elizabeth signed the UK-EU Brexit trade deal
- China December manufacturing PMI fell to 51.9 from 52.1 in the previous month and below market consensus of 52.0. Services PMI dropped to 55.7 in December from 56.4 a month earlier and below analysts' expectations of 56.3
- Covid-19 second-stage vaccinations to be delayed across UK by up to 3 months
- Bitcoin hits another all-time high at $29180
- Binance will delist Ripple from its US branch on January 13, 2021
- AUD and CAD are leaders among major currencies while GBP and EUR lag the most
Over 719 thousand new cases were reported yesterday. This is the fourth highest daily count since the pandemic started. Source: worldometers, XTB
