Coronavirus vaccine hopes spark global stock market surge

Business

Stock markets in Asia have rallied after Joe Biden’s US election victory.

Japan’s Nikkei was the most notable gainer, hitting a 29-year high after the confirmation of the result over the weekend.

Mr Biden’s defeat of Donald Trump has eased fears about a continuation of a damaging trade war between the US and China, the world’s two biggest economies.

:: Subscribe to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker

The Nikkei and China’s Shanghai Composite, were each up by about 2% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi each added just over 1%.

Markets had already enjoyed a strong run last week as it looked increasingly likely that Mr Biden was on course to amass enough electoral college votes to defeat Mr Trump.

Hopes that the new administration can enact a fresh round of economic stimulus have been dampened by the likelihood that congress will remain divided.

More from Business

But on the other hand the absence of a “blue wave” sweeping Democrats to power in both the White House and the Senate means investors seem less likely to have to worry about higher taxes and tougher regulation for some big companies.

There is also the expectation that the US Federal Reserve, America’s central bank, will continue to provide much-needed monetary policy help to the coronavirus-battered economy.

The Fed has already cut interest rates and pumped trillions of dollars into the economy.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The economic arguments in the US election

Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst for Asia Pacific at OANDA, said: “Equity markets are on fire today following the US elections being called for Joe Biden.

“Mr Biden is perceived as being more friendly for trade, and with the Republicans indicating an unwillingness to back large-scale fiscal stimulus, more monetary easing is on the way.”

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Ford to reopen Chennai plant for EV exports to spearhead its global comeback
Cars submerged in water as some areas see more than a month’s rainfall
‘Extremely dangerous’ hurricane makes landfall in Florida
On the trail of the brand new British luxury cars that are entering Russia despite sanctions
Hands-on with Meta’s Orion AR glasses prototype and the possible future of computing

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *