Overnight, Wall Street closed higher. Gains for tech stocks offset losses elsewhere.
The Kospi in South Korea, where the increase in virus cases has slowed, was off less than 0.1% at 3,159.37 at midday after being up in the morning. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 0.6% to 13,530.91 after traders bid up shares in Big Tech stocks, including Apple, Amazon and Facebook. That helped outweigh losses in energy, bank and other stocks.
Those hopes have been jolted by an upsurge in infections, including in Asia, and the emergence of new virus variants that might be more infectious. "The resurgence of cases in China, namely in the largest cities of Beijing and Shanghai, ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays is a cause of concern," said Mizuho Bank in a report.
Not good.
Lol. You actually think it left?