NEW YORK, Dec 18 — Global stock benchmarks and oil prices fell yesterday while safe havens such as the dollar and Treasury bonds rose as investors wrestled with rising numbers of Omicron cases and a hawkish turn from major central banks in the fight against inflation.
US stocks have reversed all of their gains from Wednesday, when markets welcomed the Federal Reserve’s commitment to tackle rising inflation with faster bond tapering and interest rate hikes next year. “Volatility is rising again, lowering the predictability of what may happen next,” said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote.