Stocks fell and headed for their largest weekly drop in nearly two months on Friday, while safe haven assets such as bonds and the yen rallied as a new virus variant added to swirling concerns about future growth and higher U.S. interest rates.
The variant, detected by scientists in South Africa, may be able to evade immune responses and has prompted Britain to hurriedly introduce travel restrictions on South Africa.
South Africa's rand fell 1% in early trade, as did U.S. crude futures . S&P 500 futures fell 0.4%, while the risk-sensitive Australian and New Zealand dollars dropped to three-month lows."The trigger was news of this COVID variant...and the uncertainty as to what this means," said Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank in Sydney. "You shoot first and ask questions later when this sort of news erupts.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fauci says vast majority of vaccinated Americans should get a COVID-19 boosterTop U.S. infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday the vast majority of Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should receive a booster shot, and that an additional dose could eventually become the country's standard for determining who is fully vaccinated.
Read more »
France extends COVID-19 booster shots to all adultsPARIS (Reuters) -France said on Thursday it would make COVID-19 booster shots available to all adults, toughen rules on wearing face masks and ramp up health pass checks as it seeks to curb a fifth wave of infections that risks undermining its economic recovery. The number of infections is doubling every 11 days in France but officials said there was no need to follow Austria's example of reimposing a lockdown. Health Minister Olivier Veran said anyone aged 18 or over would be eligible for booster shots and that the period between full vaccination and the booster jabs would be shortened to five months from six.
Read more »
Slovaks lock down to slow world's highest COVID-19 infection rateSlovakia went into a two-week lockdown on Thursday, as the country with one of the EU's lowest vaccination rates reported a critical situation in hospitals and new infections that topped global tables.
Read more »
Expanded eligibility boosts U.S. COVID-19 booster shots ahead of holidaysMillions of Americans got COVID-19 booster shots at a near record pace after the Biden administration expanded eligibility last week, but health officials concerned about climbing infections ahead of the winter holiday season urged more to get the additional protection. About 37.5 million people had received a booster shot in the United States as of Tuesday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 'I think it is a good start,' said Dr. William Schaffner, a leading infectious disease expert from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who added that he believed boosters are more important for personal protection than for curtailing spread of the virus.
Read more »
Montana steakhouse owner admits using a $75,000 COVID-19 disaster relief loan to buy vintage carsA Montana steakhouse owner has pleaded guilty to misusing COVID-19 relief money he received for his restaurant to buy several vintage cars — including a 1916 Studebaker.
Read more »
Expanded eligibility boosts U.S. COVID-19 booster shots ahead of holidaysMillions of Americans got COVID-19 booster shots at a near record pace after the Biden administration expanded eligibility last week, but health officials concerned about climbing infections ahead of the winter holiday season urged more to get the additional protection.
Read more »