London
Europe’s equity markets slipped Thursday on survey data indicating the region’s economy continued to be battered by coronavirus fallout, despite recent vaccine-driven optimism, dealers said. Investors weighed Covid-19 vaccine hopes against rising infections and uncertainty surrounding a post-Brexit trade deal, OPEC oil output and a US stimulus package. In late morning deals, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index edged down 0.1 percent, having rallied the previous day after a sliding pound pushed up shares in multinationals.
Confirmation that Britain will next week start rolling out the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 has meanwhile led to traders booking profits following big share-price gains in recent weeks on expectations of mass inoculations before 2021.—AFP
