European
stock indexes fell during Tuesday’s trading, despite
hopes of a possible coronavirus vaccine and continued easing of closures undertaken
by global economies.
As
of 13:55 GMT, the Euro Stoxx 50 index slumped 0.44 percent to trade near 2,896.90 points.
German
DAX 30 index descended 0.47 percent and now settles near 11,006.36 points,
while French CAC 40 reached 4,462.95 points, down 0.79 percent.
Britain’s
FTSE 100 Index ascended to 6,024.80 points, bringing its drop today to
about 0.39 percent.
Despite
increased risk sentiment among investors as the closure restrictions around the
world continue to be gradually eased, the performance of European equities was
weak due to the presence of uncertainty.
Positive
news about biotech company Moderna reporting the first "positive"
phase of the potential coronavirus vaccine failed to restore confidence in financial
markets.
After
two doses, all 45 participants in the experiment developed antibodies to the
deadly virus, the Company said.
Asian
stock indexes rose at the close of trading Tuesday, trailing overnight gains on
Wall Street, where South Korea’s Kospi index ascended 2.25 percent to 1,980.61.
Moreover,
President Donald Trump threatened to permanently cut off US funding for the
World Health Organization in a message yesterday he shared through his own
Twitter account.
The
IMF chief said the global economy will take much longer to fully recover from
the shock caused by the pandemic than initially expected.
Investors
are also watching closely today for comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome
Powell during his testimony with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on relief
and economic security plans before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban
Affairs Committee in Washington.
Meanwhile, the dollar
index, which measures the performance of six major currencies against the US
dollar, slump 0.29 percent at 99.38.