European equity markets are expected to open lower on concern over the spread of Omicron. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,311.93 points (+0.56%), the CAC 40 at 7,181.11 points (+0.57%), the DAX 40 at 15,963.70 points (+0.81% ), the FTSE 100 at 7,372.10 points (-0.02%), the SMI at 12,970.53 points (+0.81%), the AEX at 800.95 points (+0.46%), the BEL 20 at 4,303.56 points (+0.43%), IBEX 35 at 8,688.90 points (+0.77%), DJIA at 36,398.21 points (+0.26%), Nasdaq at 15,781.72 points (-0.56%), the S&P 500 at 4,786.35 points (-0.10%) and the Nikkei 225 at 28,906.88 points (-0.56%).

Regarding exchange rates, the change from the close in New York indicates that EUR/USD opens at 1.1306 (-0.04%), EUR/JPY at 129.89 (+0.02%) and USD/JPY at 114.88 (+0.05%).

European equity markets are expected to start Wednesday's session in the red, after hitting new highs on Tuesday. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Europe continues to worry investors, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that the risks associated with this virus remain very high and several countries announcing record numbers of new cases over the past few years. last 24 hours. Around 7:30 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract lost 13 points, or 0.2%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The DAX 40 contract was down 29 points, or 0.2%, and the FTSE 100 contract was down 16 points, or 0.2% as well. Trading resumes Wednesday at the London Stock Exchange after several days of closure due to the Christmas holidays. Financial markets have been disrupted in recent weeks by the spread of the Omicron variant, with governments around the world imposing new restrictions in an attempt to stem its spread. However, some recent studies suggest that this variant could cause less severe forms of Covid-19 than the Delta variant.

Wall Street closed in mixed fashion on Tuesday, marking a break the day after a new record for the S&P 500 index. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) gained 0.3% to 36,398.21 points. The broader S&P 500 index fell 0.1% to 4,786.35 points, after setting a new all-time high in the session. The Nasdaq Composite lost 0.6% to 15,781.72 points. In Asia, the main stock market indices fell on Wednesday. Central China Securities points out that investors are showing a wait-and-see attitude at the end of the year and that the markets should continue to lack momentum in the short term. In Tokyo, the Nikkei index ended down 0.6%. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Hang Seng index fell 1% at the end of the session and the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.7%.

Yields on US Treasury bonds ended in mixed order on Tuesday, but the rate on the two-year note hit a new high in 52 weeks. Investors continue to hope that the Omicron variant will have a limited economic impact, which has supported the Dow Jones index while limiting appetite for Treasuries. On Wednesday morning, the ten-year Treasury bond rate fell 1.1 basis points to 1.475%, while that of the two-year bond fell 2 basis points to 0.742%.

The euro was little changed against the dollar on Wednesday morning as the post-Christmas rally in equity markets petered out and the outlook for the US economy improved somewhat after the Centers for Prevention and Diseases (CDC) has eased isolation requirements in the event of Covid-19 infection. This measure is considered beneficial for the labor market in the United States, which continues to face labor shortages. The Japanese bank, however, believes that gains will be limited as global oil supply is expected to increase next year due to an increase in US and Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production. and its allies. At 7:25 a.m., the February North Sea Brent contract was taking 15 cents, at $79.09 a barrel. The same-maturity contract on light sweet crude oil (WTI) listed on the Nymex gained 10 cents, to 76.08 dollars a barrel.