Today’s highlights
- US futures seen higher
- Cryptos on the rise
- UK100 lifted by AstraZeneca
Futures point to positive opening on Wall Street
US markets closed lower on Friday, as the SPX500, DJ30 and NASDAQ100 all finished in the red. However, all three major indices finished higher for the month of April, including a 5% gain for the SPX500, marking its third consecutive monthly gain and an increase of 11% overall year to date. This morning, US markets are expected to open higher, as indicated by stock futures at time of writing. Wall Street may be impacted by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who will speak at an online conference hosted by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, at 18:20 GMT.
Bitcoin inching back towards $60,000
The crypto market was mostly positive over the weekend and was in the green over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin gained more than 1.5% since yesterday, making up some lost ground, and trading around $58,000 at time of writing. The largest gains of the top 10 were registered by Uniswap, which was up more than 10% at time of writing.
AstraZeneca leads UK100 higher
The UK100 eked out small gains on Friday. British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca , which has dealt with some negative press recently, seems to have bounced back with positive news presented to investors. The company reported that its coronavirus vaccine added $275 million in sales in Q1, resulting in its stock jumping more than 4.4% on Friday, lifting the UK100 index. In contrast, Barclay’s finished more than 6.4% lower, despite beating analysts’ expectations with its earnings report.
Other highlights
Oil starts the week lower: After finishing Friday in the red, the black gold continued its negative momentum, registering more declines this morning.
Asian markets mostly lower: Both the China50 and HKG50 indices were in the red this morning, each down more than 1% at time of writing. In contrast, the JPN225 was seen slightly higher. Banks in China and Japan are closed today, in observance of Labour Day and Constitution Day, respectively.
Vaxart soars on oral vaccine news: American biopharmaceutical company Vaxart started last week with presenting data showing at least 19 million unvaccinated Americans will be willing to get a Covid-19 vaccine if there were an oral option, on which the company is working. As a result, the VXRT stock skyrocketed last week, rising 17% on Friday and 95% overall. For the most recent and significant price movements in markets, check out the Market Movers page.
Europe opens higher: The GER30 opened 43 points higher and the FRA40 was up 13 points. Markets in the UK are closed today in observance of May Day.
