After a positive start to the day, risk sentiment in the global financial markets took a knock amid resurgent virus concerns after reports that the UK will introduce further COVID-19 restrictions later today to deal with Omicron. European stock markets and US stock index futures (S&P 500 Futures) came under pressure as the news weighed on risk sentiment.
However, a quick reversal in risk trends came in recent deals as Pfizer said that three doses of vaccine are enough to neutralize the omicron variant. This is, of course, positive development and a great plus in dealing with the new variant. Furthermore, Pfizer and BioNTech said they are now working on an Omicron-specific vaccine that could be available by March.
However, investors should be cautious as virus-related volatility will likely persist in the coming days and weeks. Also, one should keep in mind that findings revealed by Pfizer are based on just preliminary tests, with no other details available so far. In other words, virus fears are not off the table just yet, with global markets staying sensitive to any reports and leaks from this front, suggesting the elevated volatility would persist further.
Also, next week, investor optimism could be derailed by a hawkish monetary policy decision. Even as a faster bond-buying tapering process is mostly priced in already, a more aggressive tightening amid the ongoing pandemic may put stock markets under pressure.