Global markets fell and volatility expectations rose Friday morning as traders digested the news of Donald Trump’s infection with the coronavirus. Oil prices, which have already taken a hit on concerns of falling demand, fell further Friday, with Brent crude, the international benchmark, down 3.2 percent to $39.62 a barrel at one point. European stock exchanges opened lower, with the region-wide Stoxx 600 down 0.8 percent, London’s FTSE 100 down 0.7 percent and Germany’s Dax down 1 percent after the opening bell. In the Asia-Pacific region, Tokyo’s benchmark Topix dropped 1 percent after earlier rising by nearly the same level, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.4 percent. Trading was choppy in U.S. stock index futures several hours before the opening bell on Wall Street, but signs pointed to the S&P 500 being likely to open down around 1 percent. With risk avoidance front of mind, traders flocked to safe haven gold, one of the few assets in positive territory, up 0.44 percent at $1,913 per ounce.
Read it at The Guardian
