Global markets received a boost Wednesday from positive news about a potential new vaccine for COVID-19. In Asia, the Nikkei index in Tokyo was up 1.5% at the closing bell. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down 0.2% in late afternoon trading, while the Shanghai Composite lost 1.5%. Elsewhere, the S&P/ASX index in Sydney rose 1.9%, Seoul’s KOSPI index is 0.8% higher, while Taiwan’s TSEC index closed six points lower, but was virtually unchanged percentage-wise. The Sensex index in Mumbai is up 1.9% in late afternoon trading. European markets are off to a strong start, with London’s FTSE and the CAC-40 in Paris both 0.9% higher, while Frankfurt’s DAX index is up 0.7% A report in the New England Journal of Medicine Tuesday revealed an experimental coronavirus vaccine has shown promising immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study. The potential new vaccine was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and manufactured by U.S.-based biotech firm Moderna, which is conducting the trial vaccinations. Oil markets are also getting a boost Wednesday: U.S. crude is selling at $40.71 per barrel, up one percent, while Brent crude is trading at $43.31 per barrel, up 0.9%. All three U.S. indices are trending upward in futures trading.
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