In Paris, the CAC 40 lost 0.13% to 7,077.14 points around 08:27 GMT and in Frankfurt, the Dax fell by 0.09%. The EuroStoxx 50 index is down 0.22% while the Stoxx 600 is down 0.03%. In London, the FTSE 100 is closed, as were the Hong Kong and Sydney stock exchanges in Asia. On Wall Street, closed Friday for Christmas Eve, futures contracts foreshadow a practically stable or even slightly bullish opening for the Nasdaq.
The cancellation of several thousand flights in the United States on Sunday as well as the return to port, according to several media, of at least three cruise ships due to cases of COVID-19 on board fuel concerns about the consequences of the variant Omicron on economic recovery. This weighs in particular on the prices of crude and consequently on the values of the sector. The Stoxx 600 oil and gas index lost 0.41%.
The technology (-0.4%) and banking (-0.29%) compartments are also neglected. In Paris, STMicroelectronics fell 1.7%, the red light of the CAC 40, and Societe Generale, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole fell between 0.7% and 1%.
(Report Blandine Hénault, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
Finally Europe opts for caution over Omicron let's take a deep look into it.