- The US markets were mixed overnight on Thursday. The S&P 500 increased by 0.1 per cent, the Nasdaq gained 0.2 per cent, but the Dow fell 0.09 per cent.
- The Hang Seng Index futures are down 0.4 per cent
The mainland Chinese markets are shut on Friday for the Lunar New Year holiday and will resume trading on January 31 now, a break that might prove to be the only respite for stocks amid a growing coronavirus outbreak. The numbers are rising " 25 dead, but 679 cases of infection and eight cities under lockdown " but the outbreak has not yet been classified as a global health emergency by the WHO.
The Hong Kong market, which fell below the psychologically important support level of 28,000 points on Thursday, will trade for half a day on Friday, and is expected to open lower.
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" Kathleen Magramo and Azar Zaidi in Hong Kong
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