Global equities languished close to two-week lows on Thursday, while the dollar cruised to near a four-month high against the euro as nervy investors worried that Europe's COVID-19 response was falling behind that in the United States.
The dollar index had hit its highest since November 2020 overnight, at 92.697, breaking its 200-day moving average. MSCI's gauge of world stocks was 0.03per cent lower, down for a second day and close to its lowest level in more than two weeks. China's blue-chip CSI300 index edged 0.05per cent lower, to its lowest close since Dec. 11, weighed down by jitters about policy tightening and rising tensions between China and Western countries over allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
As well as concerns about extended economic lockdowns in Europe, disruptions to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and potential U.S. tax hikes also dimmed investor sentiment.