Japan's Nikkei adds 0.6 per cent as a survey shows the mood among hard-hit Japanese businesses has improved in the December quarter.. — Reuters pic
E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 responded by rising 0.5 per cent, while March Treasury bond futures slipped 4 ticks. Eurostoxx 50 futures added 0.6 per cent and FTSE futures 0.3 per cent. Against the dollar, the pound rose 0.7 per cent to $1.3321 and away from Friday's close of US$1.3222. The euro slipped 0.5 per cent to 91.09 pence, off a three-month top of 92.29.
The single currency has already been charging hard against the US dollar, which many analysts believe has entered a cyclical downtrend as the prospect of a vaccine-driven global economic recovery lessens the need for safe havens.