Asian stocks were steady and U.S. equity futures climbed Thursday, shrugging off a weak Wall Street close amid questions about how much of a threat the omicron coronavirus strain really poses. MSCI Inc.’s Asia-Pacific gauge fluctuated, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 contracts rose.
OPEC+ Faces Output Decision as Omicron Puts Market in Disarray
OPEC and its allies headed into a second day of talks on whether to pause their production increases as the resurgent pandemic throws the outlook for next year into disarray. With crude already in a bear market as the omicron variant of Covid-19 imperils demand, traders were widely expecting the alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia to defer a modest supply hike scheduled for January.
