SINGAPORE – Shares in Australia fell in trading on Thursday morning as several markets in Asia-Pacific will close soon for New Year’s Eve.
The S & P / ASX 200 fell about 0.5% in Thursday’s trading.
Markets in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong will close on Thursday earlier than usual due to New Year’s Eve.
The markets in Japan and South Korea are closed on Thursday for holidays.
As for the coronavirus, the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Wednesday received authorization for emergency use in the UK. However, the UK government on Wednesday outlined plans to impose stricter coronavirus restrictions on millions of people across England as the new strain of the virus spreads across the country.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 73.89 points to close at 30,409.56. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% to end the trading day at 3,732.04, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2% to close at 12,870. Wednesday’s moves marked the fourth positive session in five, for both the Dow and the S&P 500.
Coins
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, stood at 89,612 after a recent shift from levels above 90.
The Japanese yen was trading at $ 103.13, after strengthening from above 103.8 levels against the dollar earlier this week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $ 0.77 after rising levels below $ 0.76, seen earlier in the trading week.