Vaccine optimism dimmed by new strain

Tuesday 15th December 2020The markets lost some of their mojo today. They kicked off well as the US starts its vaccination program, but the UK health secretary upset the apple cart by announcing that the rise in infections in and around London has been attributed to a new, faster-spreading variation of the virus. As NAB’s Ray Attrill point out, there is no suggestion that vaccines won’t be responsive to the new strain, but it could mean we see more lockdowns and restrictions – as evidenced by Germany, London and, potentially, New York. There’s hope a fiscal stimulus deal will be reached in the US this week, with the wording for a potential bill to be released in the next few hours. China’s activity numbers will be the main data point today. Oh, and Brexit talks continue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.