The excitement over V-day in Europe and the relief over the Brexit deal was joined by a third note of optimism for the markets at dawn, which bodes well for a New Year's Eve with a plus sign. Donald Trump has decided to sign the pandemic aid law (900 billion dollars) and to refinance the federal budget, avoiding the paralysis of government activities. The umpteenth tweet from the outgoing president, issued from his golf courses in Florida, syllables: "Good news on the anti-pandemic law: information will follow". Sufficient telegraphic communication to dispel the threat of a header.
The markets, already down, appreciated: Wall Street futures reversed course and are now rising, closely followed by Asian stock exchanges. The futures of the European stock exchanges are also set towards a positive start.
TOKYO ADVANCES DESPITE THE CLOSURE OF THE BORDER
The lists of Shanghai and Shenzen are up (+0,5%); Kospi of Seoul +0,5%. Tokyo advances (+0,7%) despite the closure of the borders of Japan, on alert after the increase in infections.
In Hong Kong, Alibaba's share fell sharply (-7,3%), still in the crosshairs of the Chinese authorities who confirmed the intervention of the supervisory authorities against Jack Ma's colossus, whose fortune on the Stock Exchange, within a week, it dropped from $62 billion to $49 billion. Pan Gongsheng, number two at the central bank, said that the listing of Ant group will be allowed when Ma's finance company "returns to its initial principles", i.e. dealing with payments by setting aside banking services.
THE VALUE OF BITCOIN EXCEEDS 500 BILLION
Great turmoil on the Bitcoin front, which rose to a new high at $28.377 over the weekend and then dropped to $26. The cryptocurrency in circulation is worth over $457 billion.
The dollar weakens on its main counterparts: dollar index down for the fourth consecutive session. Euro-dollar at 1,221 (+0,2%). The euro-sterling exchange rate moved little, at 0,900. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson admits that, on relations between the City and the European Union, Great Britain has not obtained the freedom of maneuver it would have liked.
Bond sales (0,94-year US Treasury Notes at 51,2%). Brent oil at $0,2, down 3,6%. The latest data provided by the Beijing Customs Office report a doubling of crude oil imports from the United States to XNUMX million tons in November.
ALSO COMING THE ASTRA ZENECA VACCINE
Mauricette (a 78 year old cleaning lady who lives in Sevran near Paris), Araceli Rosario Hidalgo (96 years old, hospitalized in a Guadalajara nursing home in Castile) and our Claudia Alivernini (29 years old, nurse at Spallanzani in Rome) are were yesterday morning the pioneers who inaugurated, without a hitch, V-Day in Europe, the first act of the fight against Covid-19. In Italy, at the moment, 9.750 doses have arrived. In France however, 19500. In Germany there was a first load of 151.125 doses. Three more shipments, totaling 1,9 million, are expected to arrive between now and December 30 and in the first week of January
Meanwhile, confirmation arrives from London that tomorrow the Astra Zeneca vaccine will be approved, with lower costs than that of Pfizer / BiONtech.
The outcome of the Brexit agreement contributes to hope for a New Year's Eve marked by recovery, even if operators have just begun to digest the text (over 1.200 pages, the result of more than four years of discussions), certainly full of dark spots. The agreement seems destined to favor a positive end of the year, if only to avoid the worst. The vote of the British Parliament is scheduled for December 30, then it will be up to the 27 of the European Union.
Having overcome the obstacle of anti-pandemic measures, US politics is concentrated on the January 5 vote in Georgia, decisive for control of the Senate.
YES TO THE FINANCIAL CHAMBER
In Italy, the Chamber of Deputies yesterday approved the 40 billion euro budget, the largest in recent years. The final vote obtained 298 yes, 125 no and 8 abstentions. The text of the budget law now passes to the Senate, for the definitive green light: the vote should arrive on Wednesday 30 December.
HOLLYWOOD RELIES ON STREAMING, BERLUSCONI ON LAWYERS
On the corporate front, the box office performance in the Hollywood mixed Christmas campaign should be noted in the USA: Warner, in the face of the closures of many cinemas, has adopted a mixed formula, i.e. distribution via theaters but also streaming: Wonder Woman, the protagonist superheroine played by Israeli Gal Gadot debuted with 85 million dollars, of which 16,7 in the United States. The film cost $200 million. In Italy the confrontation between Mediaset and Vivendi is heating up. The Dagospia website reports that Silvio Berlusconi has entrusted the law firm of Guido Alpa, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's "historical tutor", with preparing an expert report to assess the probability of prevailing in the civil case against Vincent Bolloré's company.
