European markets look for rebound as investors assess omicron risk; Stoxx 600 up 1%

LONDON — European markets climbed on Tuesday after the previous session’s sell-off, with concerns over the omicron Covid-19 variant still hanging over global stocks.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 added 1.1% by early afternoon, retracing much of Monday’s loss. Basic resources jumped 2.4% to lead gains as almost all sectors and major bourses traded in positive territory

European shares grabbed the baton from their counterparts in Asia-Pacific, where a bounce back for Japanese markets led broad regional gains overnight

Stateside, stock futures are also pointing to a higher open after Monday’s sell-off, as omicron’s spread and the potential for further containment measures dented risk assets

Following a lengthy cabinet meeting on Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided against imposing more stringent social restrictions over the Christmas period, but refused to rule out new measures in the near future

Moderna announced Monday that the booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine had shown itself to be effective against the omicron variant in laboratory testing

Meanwhile the European Union has approved the use of Novavax’s vaccine in people aged 18 or over, making it the fifth shot available for use within the bloc

Central bank policymakers also continue to assess the outlook for inflation, and European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos conceded Monday that spiking inflation in the euro zone will not be as temporary as the ECB first expected

On the data front, a flash euro zone consumer confidence reading for December is due at 3 p.m. London time

In terms of individual share price movement, French transportation conglomerate Bolloré jumped 10% after receiving a $6.4 billion bid from Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for its African logistics assets

At the bottom of the European blue chip index, Swiss online pharmacy Zur Rose Group fell 11% after the introduction of e-prescriptions was postponed in Germany