- Stocks in the United States slumped in thin trading a day after setting another all-time high in the last days of the year. Treasuries rose a smidgeon.
- The S&P 500 fell to session lows in the last minutes of trading on Thursday, a day after setting a new high with its 70th record close of the year. The dow jones industrial average and the tech-heavy NASDAQ 100 both fell.
- Cruise company stocks, including Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., fell but remained off session lows after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that cruise ships should be avoided even if passengers are vaccinated due to the danger of COVID-19.
- The 10-year Treasury yield fell below its 50-day moving average once more, with long-end rates falling the most. A dollar index showed minimal movement.
- An illustration of the continued strength of labour demand despite the newest coronavirus outbreak, figures released on Thursday indicated that unemployment claims decreased unexpectedly last week, while continuing claims fell to their lowest level since March of last year. A gauge of Chicago business activity climbed more than experts projected in December.
- On Wednesday, the number of COVID-19 cases increased by 32% to a record 1.73 million, marking the third day in a row with more than a million new infections worldwide. Nonetheless, as viral mortality in the United States have decreased, more evidence is accumulating that omicron may be less hazardous, particularly among vaccinated people.
- As the year comes to a close, investors are weighing the consequences of the rapidly spreading omicron coronavirus variety, increased inflation caused by supply bottlenecks, and the elimination of stimulus measures, such as monetary policy tightening by the Federal Reserve.
