U.S. stock futures edged down as investors assessed the latest headlines on restrictions to limit the spread of the Omicron variant.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 retreated 0.3% Thursday, suggesting the broad-market index is set to pull back moderately after closing up 0.3% Wednesday. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures also slid 0.3% and Nasdaq-100 futures ticked down 0.2%.
Stocks have swung in recent weeks, buffeted by conflicting headlines on the Omicron coronavirus variant and mixed signals on the health of the economy. Investors are still awaiting further data on the strain’s severity and vaccine efficacy. Some pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer and Glaxo Smith Kline have said this week that their shot and antibody treatment appears to work in early-stage studies.
European governments have moved to tighten restrictions, spurring concerns about setbacks to the economic recovery. U.K. Prime Minister Johnson outlined a new work-from-home mandate and mask guidelines on Wednesday evening. A study released by a Japanese scientist said the variant was four times more transmissible than the Delta strain.
“There’s still a lot we don’t know, we’re waiting for details to emerge,” said Arun Sai, a multi-asset strategist at Pictet Asset Management. On restrictions, “as long as it’s temporary, it doesn’t completely derail the recovery. We now know the playbook. We’re talking about a one or two quarter postponement of a recovery in services, that’s the critical element that’s at risk here.”
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note edged down to 1.494% Thursday from 1.508% Wednesday.
China’s producer-price index showed a 12.9% increase in November from a year earlier, a decline from the previous month but still more than economists expected. Consumer prices also rose.
“Factory gate prices only showed modest signs of slowing,” which may signal that higher inflation will remain in place in the coming months, said Michael Hewson, a chief markets analyst at CMC Markets. China’s producer prices drive consumer prices around the world, he added.
In Asia, major benchmarks were mixed. The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 1.1%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 0.5%, boosted by gains in technology stocks.
In Europe, the pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 ticked up 0.2%. Rolls Royce shares declined 4.4% after the company released an update that showed it had a long way to go before meeting its cash-flow target and which will depend on international travel being allowed, Mr. Hewson said.
In the U.S., cloud-computing firmOracle, network company Broadcom and wholesaler Costco are set to report Thursday after market close. Popular meme stock GameStop declined 3.2% in off-hours trading after the company posted earnings that showed a widening loss last quarter.
“Earnings have been strong overall, it’s a really positive underlying driver for equity markets,” said Kiran Ganesh, a multi-asset strategist at UBS Global Wealth Management.
Shares of Amazon.com declined 0.2% premarket after the Italian government fined it $1.3 billion for alleged abuse of market dominance. The European Union is also investigating the e-commerce giant in a similar antitrust case.
Fresh data on U.S. jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, is set to go out at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists are forecasting that the level will remain near pandemic lows. It has come close to the pre-pandemic average in recent weeks in a sign that the labor market is improving.
Oil prices wavered between small gains and losses. Global benchmark Brent crude declined 0.2% and traded at $75.61 a barrel. It has risen more than 8% this week, lifted by early indications that the Omicron variant may not weigh on energy demand as much as feared, according to analysts at ANZ.
Bitcoin reversed direction after four days of gains, slipping 2% from its level at 5 p.m. Wednesday. It traded below $50,000, a 28% drop from its record high set in November.
精彩评论