Markets started 2022 with noticeable volatility after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s minutes revealed a more hawkish stance towards interest rate hikes this year compared to market expectations.
Financial markets focused on the Fed this week, awaiting its latest policy decision and outlook - a decision that drew particular attention given the current inflation environment.
Markets have been moving to headlines on the Omicron variant and its potential effects on the global economy.
Stock market volatility made a comeback this week, triggered by concerns around the new omicron COVID-19 variant, which the World Health Organization has labelled as a variant of concern.
A new variant of Covid-19, given the name Omicron, was identified in South Africa this week, spooking markets globally.
On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will cost around $1 trillion dollars.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq all reached record highs this week, following a patient Federal Reserve, accelerating U.S. jobs gains and strong 3rd quarter corporate earnings, giving markets lots of reasons to rally.
After a 4.2% correction in September, global equities were up nicely in October with the MSCI World Index (representative of developed market equities) returning an impressive 6.5% for the month.